A Wolfy Problem
by CynderBlue
Summary: Set at the end of the second book. Mr. Crepsley does not arrive in the nick of time and Darren gets bit by the Wolfman. At first he thinks it was just an unfortunate accident, but soon he discovers he has developed a...wolfy problem.
1. Chapter 1

_A.N. _**Here is the new story! It has nothing to do with the other one I am working on. Mr. Tiny will be in this but he won't be as prominent a character right away and he certainly will not be nice. **

**I hope you all enjoy it ; ) **

**I do not own Cirque Du Freak or the characters in this story. The _print _at the beginning is taken directly from the book so everyone knows where it starts. That will be the only copied thing. **

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_He howled then and finally lifted his mouth. It was red, a dark awful red, full of guts and blood and pieces of flesh and bone._

_ He rolled on top of me, forcing me down and pinned me with one long hairy arm. His head shot back and he howled up at the night sky. Then with a demonic snarl he drove his teeth toward my throat, meaning to finish me off with one quick bite. _

At the last possible second I wriggled an arm free and whipped it up to cover my neck, turning my face to the side so I did not have to watch the Wolfmans teeth sink into my flesh. His jaw snapped around my upper right arm and shoulder, ripping and tearing until my screams died into faint whimpers. Apparently satisfied the Wolfman leaned back and at the same instant Mr. Crepsley blurred into view, slamming into the monster with blinding force; the Wolfmans head snapped back and I doubted the thing could have survived.

Mr. Crepsley scrambled off the monster and hurried over to me, his scarred face a mask of worry as he crouched down next to me and examined the wound on my shoulder. He gently turned my head away when I tried to look down and blocked my view of Sam. "Hush," he said and picked me up in his arms, looking pained when I whimpered again; the faintest jostling of my arm sent spikes of agony into my skull. Blood was staining his shirt at a faster rate then should be healthy. He set off at a run, holding me close and the lights of the Cirque Du Freak glittered in the distance, drawing closer with every step Mr. Crepsley took.

I could feel Mr. Crepsley's pounding heart underneath my face and took comfort in it, trying to keep myself from loosing consciousness. I knew without Mr. Crepsley saying that if I blacked out now there would be little hope in me waking up. I wrapped bloody fingers around his sleeve and focused on his scar, taking deep measured breaths through the pain as my blood pumped out with each beat of my heart. When the lights covered us I was almost gone; there was so much blood that all I could see was red and little black dots slowly covering my vision. Mr. Crepsley was shouting something and more hands grabbed onto me, lifting me away from my mentor and into the air. Someone's breath was on my face, gently blowing the bangs off my chin. I was set down on a bed and my pale hand flopped to the side, trickles of blood dripping onto the floor.

Mr. Crepsley's face loomed above me, equally pale. His mouth was moving but I couldn't understand what he was saying and I stared blankly at him as he uncapped a bottle and placed it at my mouth, pinching my jaw between his fingers to make my mouth open. Warm blood gushed into my mouth and my mentor rubbed my throat to make me swallow unwillingly. He fed me three bottles, but I could almost feel the blood going down my throat and straight out the wound.

A pain even beyond what the Wolfman had inflicted shot down my arm and into my neck when someone else prodded the bites and I arched off the bed, screaming. When the pain stopped I flopped back down, sweating and shaking. The blood ceased to flow out of me at such an alarming rate. I hadn't even noticed my shirt had been cut away and now rags were sopping up the blood off my chest and around the wound. White bandages looped around and around my body, Mr. Crepsley helping to lift me up so they could go under my back; I would have howled in pain again but my voice was too hoarse to do anything but squeak in protest.

"Darren," Mr. Crepsley said and snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my wandering eyes fixed on him. When they did he sponged his face clean of blood while talking to me soothingly. "The drugs will start working soon. Do not fight them. Go to sleep." He squeezed out the sponge into a bucket by the edge of the bed and red water splashed into it. He turned back to me and forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace. "You will be fine." His face was starting to blur, the scar stretching eerily across my face.

I tried to nod but my neck was stiff and I blinked once, staring puzzled at the other person who had finally moved into my eyesight. He was so tall he was bent over to keep his hat from being crushed on the roof of the trailer and my lips quirked up into an amused smile. But he too blurred and my eyes drifted shut while my hands sought out the hem of Mr. Crepsley's soiled cloak. I fell asleep with the material clenched in my good fist, fingers stained with the redness of my own blood.

"Evra," I croaked, making the snake boy jump from where he had fallen half asleep in a chair next to my bed. He leapt up and handed me a glass of water from the bedside table, holding it up so I could sip slowly from it.

The cool water felt wonderful on my chapped lips and sore throat and I drank greedily, only lowering my head when the glass was drained. "How long?" I asked in a slightly less gravelly voice.

"Almost a week," the snake boy said and set the empty glass on the table, scooting the chair closer to study me critically.

I looked down at myself too and frowned. The bandages covered almost my entire arm, shoulder and neck, halting movement as they were supposed too. Blankets covered me up to my waist but I could feel I was wearing a loose pair of sweatpants and socks. My arm throbbed in time with my heart beat but the pain wasn't that bad. There was no blood staining my skin anymore so someone would have given me a bath.

"You are on the strongest painkillers we could get," Evra explained.

"Is the Wolfman dead?" I asked, fingers clenching on the bed sheets.

Evra nodded and brought out a bottle of water to refill the cup. "Mr. Crepsley broke his neck when he got it off you."

"Where is Mr. Crepsley?" I murmured.

"Sleeping. Truska manhandled him into his coffin after he almost burned himself. He stayed awake for days with you." Evra helped me into a sitting position. "I could wake him for you?"

"No," I said quickly. The aching in my bladder reminded me of a much more pressing matter. "I need the bathroom," I said awkwardly. When Evra held out a bed pan I stubbornly shook my head as far as it would go.

Evra was reluctant, but he sighed and helped me sit up slowly; it took nearly ten minutes to get me upright and my legs over the side of the bed because I kept getting dizzy.

By the time I was standing upright I was shaking badly and the distance to the bathroom looked like a hundred miles. But I was determined not to use the bedpan and I shuffled forward slowly, leaning on Evra heavily with my good side. We made it to the bathroom and Evra held me upright, turning around to give me a bit of privacy then he helped me back to the bed and aided me in changing my sweatpants. It was a relief to be back leaning against the pillows when we were done. I kept touching the bandages, running my fingers lightly over the place where the Wolfman had sunk his teeth in. The image of glistening fangs lunging for my throat flashed across my mind and I shuddered. "Sam?" I asked.

"He…he's gone Darren," Evra said softly. "We buried him."

I looked down at the blanket and bit my lip. I had known; that brief flash behind Mr. Crepsley but hearing the truth made it unavoidable. Tears snaked their way down my face and then I was sobbing, my hitching shoulders sending small spikes of pain down my arm. Evra wrapped his arms around me, avoiding the bite and we huddled together for awhile, lost to grief that made our hearts ache. If the Wolfman had been alive still I would have wobbled outside and stabbed him through the heart.

"Will I be able to move my arm properly?" I asked when we separated.

"I think so, but it could take awhile. Mr. Tall stitched you up and he said the healing would go smoothly. The bandages are supposed to come off this evening and be replaced so he could check on it."

"Mr. Tall?" I said startled.

"Yeah. He said what happened should not have. It was really odd…I haven't seen him like that before," Evra said. "He also kept staring at the bite and muttering to himself. It didn't even sound like English!"

Our conversation was interrupted by Mr. Crepsley bursting through the trailer door with a blanket held over his head. His hair was sticking up crazily and it ruined his normal image of calm and collected. His eyes settled on me and his expression went slack with relief. "You are awake," he said.

"Yes," I said matter of factly, feeling my spirits lift right away. I hid a smirk when Mr. Crepsley caught sight of himself in the bathroom mirror; he flattened his hair right away and patted it just so.

"I have brought you more medication," Mr. Crepsley said and withdrew a plastic bag from his vest pocket. He opened it awkwardly and poured three pills into my palm, batting Evra's hand away from the water so he could help me swallow the pills instead.

"Thanks," I said and watched my mentor settle himself at the end of the bed. He still looked exhausted. "You should get some more rest. You look awful and I'm not going to drop dead," I pointed out.

"Two nights ago your soul was hovering on the doorstep of Paradise. There is still risk of infection and complications," Mr. Crepsley informed me seriously.

"Who knows what the Wolfman had going on in that mouth," Evra said shuddering.

I paled. "Yeah. Who knows." Had bits of Sam been embedded into my shoulder? Before I could finish mulling that over in my head Mr. Crepsley interrupted my dark thoughts.

"Mr. Tall is arriving shortly. He intends to remove your bandages and see to the stitching," Mr. Crepsley said. "We are very lucky he decided to aid in healing you. The speed of recovery has been greatly increased and perhaps in a couple days you will be able to go outside."

A couple days? I was ready to die from boredom already. I picked at the blanket, noticing that my nails had been trimmed too. I didn't want to remember what had happened that night; everything was blank except flashes of bloody cloth and the Wolfmans teeth. "Why do you think he helped?" I asked curiously. Mr. Tall usually stayed out of our way when someone was injured.

"He said he had free reign to interfere in your health because the injuries you suffered were not supposed to happen," Evra said. "Without his help you would be dead right now, let alone talking like you suffered just a scratch or two."

I frowned thoughtfully. "That makes it seem like he knows when everyone else is going to get hurt?"

Mr. Crepsley shrugged, quite an unusual movement for the vampire to make. It seemed in his exhaustion his usual standards had been lowered quite a bit. "I have long assumed Mr. Tall has the gift of foresight and cannot meddle with the things he sees. During the time you were unconscious he confirmed my suspicion. In this case he did not see you getting bit. He was quite adamant that the Wolfmans attack and your resulting injuries did not go as he saw."

"But why is that strange? Certainly things get mixed up all the time and don't go the way he sees it?" I said.

Mr. Crepsley shook his head, a movement I was jealous that he could make. "No. He said that was the first time."

"Did he say how that night was supposed to go?" I asked. My brain was beginning to hurt.

"Not exactly. He only said that the bite was not the events he saw. Apparently the only wounds were going to be minor," Mr. Crepsley explained.

"What about Sam?"

"That would have been unchanged no matter the outcome of your injuries," Mr. Crepsley said kindly and pretended not to notice when I wiped my eyes on the corner of the blanket.

I sank back into the pillows, staring into space. All the talking had made me weary and thoughts kept bouncing around my head like I was a pinball machine. Imagining that I had not gotten bit would do no good. Evra left after announcing he had to go feed the Little People which made me think of something else. Had Mr. Tiny changed my fate? The meaning of his name could not be mere chance. Maybe his fury at me for asking so many questions had led to a more painful ending at the Wolfmans hands. I sighed and closed my eyes almost all the way, watching my mentor fuss with the blankets and straighten up the room before settling in the chair Evra had left. His head snapped up several times but it kept sagging down and eventually his soft snoring was the only sound in the room. Outside the window the Cirque Du Freak was lit up; the moon hanging half full above the tents and the bright lights sent a brief memory to me, one of Mr. Crepsley screaming and running, my limp body flopping around in his arms as the lights swallowed us whole. I snapped back to reality with a gasp, shivering. I felt sweaty and ill, and a headache pounded between my eyes. I rolled onto my side away from the window and pressed my cheek into the pillow which was suddenly so hot I couldn't stand it. I pushed the covers back with my feet and fought the urge to yank off my sweatpants too. Was this one of the complications Mr. Crepsley had mentioned? I felt weak but restless at the same time. My current injured state was not handling the twitchy feeling well. I wanted to run out into the night and roam until the itch was satisfied.

There was a knock on the door and it startled Mr. Crepsley into awakening. He got up and yawned, the long scar moving with the muscles in his face before he slumped to the door and opened it, letting Mr. Tall in.

Mr. Tall was dressed in his customary outfit and top hat, but he carried a black bag I had never seen before. He gradually stretched up to his full height and the ceiling stretched with him, bending around his hat. "Good evening," he said to me and nudged the chair over to him with one foot so he could sit on it. He looked ridiculous on the chair with his legs folded up awkwardly.

"Hi," I said uncertainly. My dealings with Mr. Tall were slim and I could never get a good read on him. He was mysterious like Mr. Tiny, but not nearly as unstable and downright murderous.

Mr. Tall chuckled and opened the black bag, taking out a roll of bandages and scissors. "Help him sit up," he ordered Mr. Crepsley.

Mr. Crepsley maunevered behind me and held me up with one hand on my good shoulder. The tension in his fingers set me on edge too and I almost jumped clear off the bed when Mr. Tall started to snip the bandages away.

I turned my head away from what Mr. Tall was doing right away. I didn't want to see the wounds the Wolfman had inflicted and remember more horrible things. I felt the bandages fall away and Mr. Tall carefully pulled them out from behind me. His fingers brushed over the stitches in a large half circle at the front of my shoulder and I frowned. I had thought there was more then one bite, but apparently the Wolfman had made do with one massive rip. When he brushed over the back of the wound I couldn't stop the flinch of pain.

"The stitches are still intact. There is tenderness but that is to be expected," Mr. Tall said. "I do not see any infection." He rubbed medicine onto the wound and I bit down on my lip so hard it bled to keep from crying out. "The healing is further along then I thought. Mild exercise is alright but movement of that arm is to be avoided." He wrapped fresh bandages around the wound and tightened them before smoothing down the edges. "That should do it," he said satisfied.

Only then did I turn back and stare down at his work. The bandages were laid out in the exact same way, hiding the damage underneath.

"Use a sling whenever you get up to keep your shoulder muscles from taking the weight," Mr. Tall said and pulled one out of the black bag. He gave it to Mr. Crepsley who stared at the contraption of many straps with confusion. The idea of trying to explain how the straps all fit around my shoulder and arm was almost enough to send me into a laughing fit.

"Ok," I said with a straight face.

Mr. Tall then pulled out a miniature feast out of the bag. A meal big enough for five people appeared and he split between Mr. Crepsley and I; sandwiches, water, chips, a giant bowl of salad and blood. With each item he got out my eyebrows went higher.

"What else is in that bag?" I asked.

Mr. Tall sent me a sly look. "That would be telling." He got up, knees popping and once again the ceiling stretched up for him. He put his hand on the doorknob and then turned back to me. "I am aware that young Evra Von told you that what happened should not have. Do not go spreading that around Master Shan. It would be unwise for certain…individuals to hear of it."

"You mean Mr. Tiny?" I questioned anxiously.

Mr. Tall did not reply and tipped his hat to Mr. Crepsley and I before bending over to leave the trailer. The door shut behind him with a click and the ceiling shrank back down.

"Let us eat," Mr. Crepsley said and handed me a sandwich after sitting back on the chair. He did not comment on my mention of Mr. Tiny but I could see him thinking over what I had said.

I bit into the sandwich and was surprised to find it was my favorite. Bacon and cheese. The food vaporized quickly and I took a drink of water with help before falling back into the pillows. Mr. Crepsley and I sat in silence for awhile, but it was neither awkward nor stiff. I eventually picked a book off the side table that Evra must have been reading and opened it to the first page. I was reading for a bit before I noticed Mr. Crepsley watching me with a touch of longing on his face. "Do you want me to read out loud?" I asked.

Mr. Crepsley shook his head. "No." But his expression shouted otherwise.

"Someone could teach you how to read," I told him.

"I am a poor student. Besides I have no wish to occupy someone else's valuable time on a problem I should already have solved." Mr. Crepsley sniffed.

I closed the book with a snap and stared down my mentor. "If I am going to be laid up doing little to nothing for awhile then I don't see why I can't teach you. It won't be getting in the way of my training. It isn't your fault you grew up not knowing how to read and write."

Mr. Crepsley looked startled and it took him a minute to work up a response. "You wish to teach me?"

I grinned. "Yes." I scooted over with some difficulty and patted the bed beside me. "Give me my notebook and get over here. No excuses for not sitting here either because this isn't my bad arm."

After hesitating greatly Mr. Crepsley did so and leaned back awkwardly against the bit of pillow I gave him.

I opened the notebook and flipped to a section of empty pages. On a few lines I wrote out the entire alphabet in large print and showed it to Mr. Crepsley, naming each letter one by one. Below that I wrote out Larten Crepsley and Darren Shan. "That is your name and mine" I said to my mentor who looked impressed. Then on the next page I wrote the letter A at the top and handed the pencil and notebook to Mr. Crepsley. "Practice copying that and try to remember which letter you are working on."

"Can I not work on my name?" Mr. Crepsley asked with a glimmer of stubbornness. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes that told me he was not going to be a compliant student.

I sighed and took the notebook back, split the one page in half and wrote his name again. "Do the letter A on the top half and your name on the bottom," I said and handed the notebook back without a hint of annoyance. I loved this. Being able to teach Mr. Crepsley something that he did not know for once was incredible and once I finished teaching him I doubted I would ever get his nose out of books again.

The next twenty minutes I spent arguing with him on the ways of holding a pencil. The vampire stubbornly wanted to hold it like a block of wood which ended in him scribbling nothing like his name or the letter A. Finally he gave in and allowed me to instruct him and I watched hiding my amusement as he huffed and puffed over the notebook, his nails denting the paper until I told him to relax. Eventually his A's began to look normal and not deformed lines crossing each other. He used up every inch of space to write the letter and by the time he finished that half of the page I could see his handwriting style. It was slightly messy but refined at the same time. He set on his name with a vehemence that surprised me but watched silently as he struggled. Offering him advice seemed to send him into an offended sulk so I just let him figure out how to space the letters and write them down.

By the time he finished I was barely awake but I groggily wrote down the letters B and C for him to do along with my name at his insistence. When I had my head turned to look out the window I caught him ripping a corner of the paper off. I pretended not to notice him tucking the scrap into his vest pocket. It was part of the page with his name written on it and he had taken the very last one he'd written which was the most neatest. He did my name before the single letters and took a scrap of paper from that sheet too, waiting until I looked away again. It was like he had forgotten that I had vampiric hearing too and the telltale rip of paper was not to be mistaken for anything else.

I fell asleep when he was halfway done with B.

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**R&amp;R Please? :D :D :D **


	2. Chapter 2- Beginning of Trouble?

**A.N. I apologize for any mistakes. I'm sick at the moment so my editing skills are suffering :P Thank you for all the reviews! The other story will be updated in the next couple days as it's longer. **

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I looked up from the bowl of soup Evra was helping me to balance and eat from on one hand and studied Mr. Crepsley who was sitting hunched over at the desk fuming. A scattering of snapped pencils littered the ground around him but the vampire did not look ready to quit anytime soon. One sharp crack echoed in the trailer and yet another pencil met its doom at my mentor's hands.

"Why don't you stop? You won't be able to learn it all in one go," I said in amusement. Besides he was going to use up all the pencils I had bought before I was turned. I could see the package next to his elbow and there were only four left out of thirty.

Evra set down the bowl after it was scraped clean and went over to Mr. Crepsley, pulling the notebook and pencils away from him. "Just take a break before you collapse," he chided. He flipped through the pad of paper and looked impressed.

I knew why Evra was looking so shocked. Mr. Crepsley had worked right through the night while I slept and the entire next day too; every half an hour or so he would bring me the notebook and demand I write another letter and a small word to relive the boredom of writing one letter over and over. He had made it through the entire alphabet twice and was now working on memorizing the names of each letter along with the sounds they made. He could write my name and his perfectly now. Now it was going on midday and I was ready to throw myself out the window for fresh air. Mr. Tall had come by three times and pronounced me ready to go outside for mild activity, but my overly protective friends had wanted me to stay inside until the spring air warmed. Through the window I could smell food cooking on outdoor ovens, flowers and the lake that was off to the east of us.

"I suppose you are right," Mr. Crepsley conceded and stepped over the broken pencils without looking at them.

I wagged my finger at him sternly. "Clean those up."

"It is not my fault the writing utensils are made of such flimsy materials," Mr. Crepsley grouched but bent down and began to scoop the pieces into his palm.

Evra laughed and pulled out the sling, untangling it from the mess Mr. Crepsley had made of it. He carefully put it on me and I worked my arm into it, only wincing slightly when my muscles pulled.

The stitches felt tight but Mr. Tall had said it would be some time before they came out. Yesterday I had gotten up several times to use the bathroom and slowly built up my strength until I could walk back and forth along the trailer without feeling dizzy. Now I stood up right away without struggling to get my legs working properly and made it to the trailer door without help, only leaning on the wall slightly. Evra held open the trailer door and I stared at the steps with trepidation. That was a problem I hadn't accounted for. But Mr. Crepsley came up behind me after tossing a blanket over his head to protect himself from the sun and lifted me down the three steps to the ground. The moment my bare feet touched the damp ground (I had refused to wear shoes) I nearly whooped with relief. The grass was still dewy and the chill was very welcome. I sucked in a lungful of air and slowly went towards the outdoor ovens, determined to get something besides soup. Evra and Mr. Crepsley stayed right beside me, but didn't actually touch me unless I faltered.

Truska was waiting for us at the ovens and watched me settle into a chair before serving out crispy bacon and eggs. Since I had eaten soup before I ate at a sedate pace, enjoying each crunchy bite of bacon but Mr. Crepsley ate like a starving animal.

"Don't choke to death," I said after the vampire stuffed a spectacularly large bite into his mouth.

"I do not choke," Mr. Crepsley said after he had swallowed. But he started to take smaller bites anyway.

I leaned back in the chair and smiled victoriously. Around us the Cirque Du Freak bustled around, carrying boxes props and things I didn't even know what they were. It looked like they were getting ready to put on a show again. By a tent I saw the Wolfmans cage and my gaze locked onto it. I got up and made my way over to it, weaving through the crowds; ignoring Evra's calls to wait up. My hands trailed along the bars and I touched the bent part where R.V had snapped the locks. "What are they going to do with it?" I asked quietly.

Evra shrugged. "Probably get rid of it unless it can be used for another act, which I doubt," he said looking faintly disgusted. "It's filthy anyway."

I bent down and pulled a bit of the Wolfmans hair out from where it had gotten stuck between the bars. I rubbed the coarse hair between my fingertips and sniffed it. The scent of madness made me reel and I jerked the hair away, swiping it off my fingers and onto the ground. "Yeah," I said. "It is." I let Evra lead me back to my seat where I finished eating in silence. The feeling of hair on my fingers made me rub my hands against my pants to try and rid myself of the feeling. Touching the hair had brought back that restless itch and I shifted restlessly in the chair until Evra finished eating and helped me upright. It was only when the three of us were half way through camp did I think of something else important. "Maybe Mr. Tiny already knows something happened. If Mr. Tall's sight is all screwed up then his has to be too," I said wisely.

As usual Evra shuddered when I said the mans name and shook his head quickly. "I sure hope not. If he does know I would expect him to burst into camp soon. But on the other hand if he does then he might not know that it was you who screwed up destiny."

I raised my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Evra has a point," Mr. Crepsley said calmly. "Mr. Tall only knew what had happened because I carried you in bleeding. He told me he knew something had sent everything askew but he had no idea what."

"So all I have to do is hope my arm heals quickly in case he comes," I said.

Evra snorted loudly. "There is no hiding anything from…him. He knew all about when I was captured and freed by Mr. Tall. He probably learns all our deepest fears and secrets just by looking at us."

"At least he is polite," I sighed.

Mr. Crepsley grabbed my good arm when I threatened to topple over after tripping on a rock. "Polite he may be, but his temperament is swift as the wind. When it blows in your favor more power to you, but the moment it shifts fleeing without a backward glance is _always _the best course." He narrowed his eyes at me sternly. "Did you not experience this enough already?"

I grinned guiltily. "I guess so. But if Mr. Tiny's "sight" is messed up doesn't that mean he can't look at us and know everything?" I nodded at Evra. "You said he knew what had happened, so if his sight goes both into the future and past then he can't reliably do that anymore. Which means he won't find out about the Wolfman unless we tell him!"

Mr. Crepsley rubbed his scar thoughtfully. "That is a farfetched idea."

I tugged on my mentor's cloak. "Let's go talk to Mr. Tall. If he can't do it then theoretically neither can Mr. Tiny."

"My, such big words coming out of your mouth today," Mr. Crepsley chuckled, but steered me toward Mr. Tall's trailer. His cloak flapped behind him even without wind and I rolled my eyes. Whatever body movements he was making to do that would probably look ridiculous if someone ripped the thing off. The vampire knocked on the trailer door only once before Mr. Tall opened it.

The Cirque owner peered down at us, his hat shadowing the top half of his face. He looked run down which was a bad look for him. Dark circles hung under his eyes and he looked paler then usual. "Yes?" He asked.

"We have a couple questions," Mr. Crepsley said and the look on his face told me he had noticed Mr. Tall's unkempt appearance too.

"Come in," Mr. Tall said and swept aside to let us pass. When we had settled on a couch so big our feet didn't touch the ground he sat behind a desk and folded his fingers, eyeing us with dark eyes. "What is it?"

"Can you look into the future and past at all?" I asked bluntly.

Mr. Tall straightened, surprised by the question. "I do not think that is any of your business Darren." He didn't sound angry or even annoyed, just dull.

"If you can't then that means Mr. Tiny won't be able to either!" I said, pressing the issue. "He won't be able to find out what the Wolfman did, which is a good thing because I'm pretty sure if he knew that I was the one who messed everything up he would kill me."

Sighing, Mr. Tall removed his top hat and set it on the floor in between his ankles. "I will not pretend to be on the same level as Desmond. For the most part I cannot. The past is darkness and the future is flashing images of no meaning." He shook his head ruefully. "Somehow you changed a future written in stone Darren and it has upended everything. I am far from being angry; instead I am fascinated and I have the feeling that Desmond will believe the same way if he ever figures out who did it." He smiled ruefully. "That man has a weakness for puzzles. He always complains about not being able to go through life like a human, without knowing everything. I suppose he has gotten his wish now."

"You really can't see anything of importance?" I said in disbelief.

"No. In the future I get images of random things like a coffee cup, the full moon and a blazing fire," Mr. Tall said.

Evra laughed. "Maybe someone will drink coffee under the full moon and set something on fire?"

Mr. Tall frowned at Evra. "This is no laughing matter. I used the sight to guard the camp from outside forces and now we are without it. It is not an immediate problem but it could become one soon."

"How can I fix it?" I asked.

"You cannot," Mr. Tall stated flatly. "Doing so would result in a direct change of your timeline and release monsters."

My back straightened. "Monsters?"

Mr. Tall stood up abruptly and clasped one hand on my shoulder and on Evra's, picking us up like kittens and steering us toward the door. "Do not worry about it. I will alert you if Mr. Tiny shows up but until he does do not dwell on it. Heal, regain your strength and let me take care of destiny." He gently shoved us out the door, but as Mr. Crepsley caught me I looked back and saw his eyes boring into the place where my shirt and sling hid the wound. He didn't look angry, or even concerned. He looked _frightened_.

The look on Mr. Talls face worried me for another two hours and I was very distracted all through walking around, going back to the trailer and coming out again for lunch. I hadn't known Mr. Tall for long but fear was not an expression that belonged on his face. He wasn't afraid of Mr. Tiny or the loss of his sight. He looked fearful of me, a recently turned half vampire and a boy at that. Mr. Tall could vaporize me off the planet with a flick of his fingers I was sure. I cut sausage into little bits without even looking at what I was doing; my eyes had fallen on the Wolfmans cage again. It was still there and everyone seemed to be avoiding the job of relocating it until the very end. I rubbed my shoulder and rolled my neck. The wound had been bothering me all day; itching and burning but not the deep ache that had plagued me without medication. I got up and pushed Mr. Crepsley back into his seat, telling him that no, I did not need help to use the bathroom anymore thank you very much. I made it up the steps without too much trouble and went into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it.

I ripped the sling off and tore at my shirt and bandages. I had to itch it was driving me insane. The bandages I sliced through with my nails without even unwinding them; when the last length of white fell away I stared in the mirror at the bite with a rapidly paling face. The stitches were popping out by themselves. That was what had caused the tugging, itching feeling. The string was literally worming its way out of my skin inch by inch. The dangled down my chest as it worked out completely and then fell onto the floor. The bite was completely healed. I traced the teeth marks that clearly stood out in the raised, ugly scar. The bite started close to my upper arm and ended on the edge of my collarbone and if I twisted around I could see it on my back too. When I touched the front of the bite, right where the massive fangs had dug the deepest I doubled over; my head felt like it was splitting open from the inside out and my shoulder hurt like it had been freshly bitten. I stuffed my shirt into my mouth to keep from screaming and writhed on the floor until the pain ceased. When I was able to sit up I grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled myself upright. The scar had sunk into my skin ever so slightly; any last traces of inflammation were gone. I worked at twisting my arm this way and that but no matter what I did there was no pain. My arm muscles were still weak but that was it. I sunk back to the floor and stared dumbly, shaking from the after effects of the pain.

I wasn't going to be able to hide a completely healed bite for more then the rest of the day. And how was I ever going to explain that my stitches had crawled out of my body? I banged my head against the wall and slumped further down until my feet touched the bottom of the sink. Forget Mr. Tiny and his homicidal personality, I had to face my friend and mentor. They would lock me up until they figured out if I would un-heal or something stupid. "Damn," I said quietly and sighed. I stared at the ruined shreds of my shirt and bandages. Scratch that. I wouldn't be able to hide it period. I picked up the last bits of my clothing and held it in front of the previously injured shoulder and found a new shirt to wear. At least they wouldn't see right away; I put the sling back on the best I could and popped a couple pain pills for the headache still behind my eyes, stepping outside. Right away I was blasted with enough sounds, sights and smells to send me stumbling back inside; I slammed the door and sat on the floor with wide eyes. I had thought being a vampire was bad before, but this was off the charts. I had been able to smell _everything. _The sausages cooking, right down to each spice Truska had put on them. The wind carrying the smell of humans, and freaks covered in sweat, perfume and deodorant. Mr. Crepsley's cloak which smelled of dirt and old blood, but also his unique smell which was like the spices Truska loved to use. The sounds had been amazing but horrible too: the swish of clothing against skin, the faint sizzle of metal on hot oven burners and people walking.

I opened the door half an inch and sniffed carefully, my nose poking out the two inch gap. My eyes watered from the overload but gradually I got used to the massive amounts of sensory input. I found I was able to concentrate on one thing for my hearing which helped to shut out the huge quantity of other stuff going on. I held onto the brush of Mr. Crepsley's cloak on the ground, the sound of him cutting into meat and his scent like fresh herbs, sending out pleasure at his food in every direction. It was that which let me go outside and make my way over to him, sitting down as close as I could get. I concentrated hard which made me space out for most of the meal, eating mechanically. Each bite of food exploded in my mouth with tastes I had never had before from the same stuff.

When Mr. Crepsley touched my hand to grab my plate for a refill I jumped right out of my seat and landed on the ground with my eyes blown wide. Fear and shock was forefront at my mind but I also had to be astonished at the information I had gotten from the touch that had lasted only a second. I had felt the oils on his fingers and his emotions had gotten mixed up with mine, his touch meaning more then it had before I had walked into the trailer. Now he was broadcasting concern and surprise so strongly I wanted to punch him. "Be quiet," I muttered under my breath.

"I did not mean to startle you," Mr. Crepsley said awkwardly.

"It's fine!" I said eager to say anything that would make him stop shoving his emotions in my face like bad perfume. Luckily my words did just that and his scent calmed, returning to that normal flat calm state that I had needed to focus on before; I did so again also calming down and let Mr. Crepsley help me up. "Sorry, I was a bit spaced," I said trying to smile.

Mr. Crepsley went back to his chair and the meal was finished quickly.

We went back to the trailer and I shot ahead so neither Evra nor my mentor could touch me. At this point if anyone touched me I would probably jump again and the scent of concern was still stuck in my nose. I got into the trailer and sucked in my stomach so Mr. Crepsley and Evra passed me by without touch. I shut the door and locked it, also putting on the double hotel lock before sitting on the bed and facing them. Without another word I took off the sling and slung my shirt over my head so they could see my healed bite. Right away shock, fear, worry and anticipation blasted me in the face, twined around each other so strongly I couldn't tell who was feeling what. I waited, trying not to breathe until the emotions faded from the room and got under control before I spoke. "Before you freak out even more, it doesn't hurt and yes my arm is a bit weak."

Mr. Crepsley leaned forward and studied the scar silently. He had taken it much more in stride then Evra, who was still freaking out through waves of worry. "Where are the stitches?" He asked eventually.

I pointed to the bathroom. "In there….they kind of came out of my skin on their own."

"That is the only normal thing about this," Mr. Crepsley said. "Mr. Tall said they would do that when the bite was healed."

"I thought vampires healed fast?" I asked.

"Yes, but not that fast," Mr. Crepsley.

"Maybe Mr. Tall did something?" Evra said.

My heart leapt. Yes. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. "It was itching and burning for hours," I said.

"Perhaps. Any other side effects?" Mr. Crepsley asked and sat next to me on the bed to probe the scar.

I opened my mouth and closed it. I was fighting not to leap away and gain some personal space from my mentor. "No," I said finally. I didn't want to worry my friends anymore then I already had. The camp was vulnerable, I had a wound healed way faster then it should be and Mr. Tiny could already be lurking. Telling them I could smell emotions was not a good idea. "Nothing else, just a bit tired."

"Well then I guess Mr. Tall did do something," Evra said. For some reason his hope that nothing odd was going on bothered me.

"What if he didn't?" I said defensively. "Is a wound healing faster then normal so freakish around here? Really?" I crossed my arms and frowned at the snake boy.

Evra shook his head. "I guess not in the big picture but you messed up fate! That is beyond strange. Anything else on top of that only adds to it."

"Sorry," I muttered angrily.

"It's not your fault," Evra said quickly.

"Yeah," I said and left the trailer silently after putting the shirt and sling back on. I had left the sling on because I didn't want to deal with question after question on how I had already gotten rid of it. My face must have given away how frustrated I was because people stayed away from me until I got right back to the Wolfmans cage. I bent down and picked up another piece of his hair, inhaling deeply. The same intense madness hit me again and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anything else from the hair. I brushed my fingers clean and stalked back through camp, pacing around and around in aimless circles until I had worked up a sweat and the sun was setting again. I kept one hand on my healed shoulder, brushing my fingers along the scar which was hidden by my shirt. Common sense eventually won over and I took a quick shower before scarfing down dinner. I would have to take each problem as it came carefully and right now it was the quick healing. Tomorrow I would deal with my hyper senses and the day after that Mr. Tiny.

"I'm sorry about what I said," Evra said when the meal was finished.

I nodded and smiled faintly. A faint urge floated to the front of my mind; bite him. I shoved it away shocked at myself and made my grin spread wider across my face. "Already forgiven," I said and leaned back in the chair, watching the moon. The restlessness returned and I drummed my fingers on the arm of the chair, staring out into the night, noticing how moonbeams lit up the forest around us. The idea that I belonged out there, roaming with no care could not be shaken. I had felt out of place among the humans after I was turned into a vampire and now I was beginning to feel the same among the freaks.

I sniffed the air and let the scent of meaty goodness fill my nose, dreaming of when my own prey would fall beneath my claws. My fingers dug into the chair and I yanked my nails out of the fabric. I paled and stared at my hands, ignoring the concerned look Evra sent my way.

What was wrong with me?

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**R&amp;R please? **


	3. Chapter 3- The Hunt

**Hello. I am so sorry I have not updated in weeks. Life happened. :P But I am back. I am having a bit of a block getting back into my other story so it will be bit longer until that one is updated. Until then I have a couple chapters of this done to give you every few days.**

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I whirled out from behind the trailer, brandishing the water gun at Evra who was instantly doused in water. He sputtered indignantly and returned fire but I was already behind cover again so the shot splashed harmlessly against the side of the trailer. Truska had gone out and brought back enough water guns and other assorted aquatic toys for an army. As a result a water war had been declared and it seemed there would be no winner any time soon. Everyone was soaked head to toe and even non combatants had gotten stuck in the crossfire and picked up a gun for revenge. Alliances and truces were formed and disbanded quick as the wind. Mr. Crepsley had so far proved himself worthy and the only wet spot on him was at the very bottom of his cloak; it had trailed behind him too much and Cormac had gotten a lucky shot.

"Give it up Darren; you can't stay back there forever!" Evra called.

I smirked and dashed out the opposite side while Evra paced around the other, leaving the snake boy in the dust. I dashed straight through the "ghost" and sped up through camp, ducking and weaving water as I went. Two days had gone by fine and I had been allowed to discard the sling after Mr. Tall pronounced me healthy. The only problems were my senses and the strange urges to run through the woods which were getting more annoying by the day. And the ghost. The morning after the bite healed I had begun to sense someone walking around camp, except no one including me could see them. They didn't even smell like anything, I could just feel…something. At first I had thought I was going completely insane but I had seen Mr. Tall staring at the place where the "ghost" was around lunchtime. I just pretended I couldn't sense it and as a result I kept running through it during the water war while it wandered around. The thing seemed to have no direction in mind it just randomly went this way and that.

"Aha!" Mr. Crepsley jumped out from behind a trailer and squirted me directly in the face.

I shook water out of my hair and shot back but the vampire was already gone, chasing down Truska with a vengeance as she had just squirted him on the shoulder. An idea came to me and I grinned, sneaking around to the back of one of the trailers and started to unwind the huge hose on the back. The ghost meandered over and I could feel it standing a few feet away, probably staring at me. I wondered if it was the ghost of Sam, but the idea was painful so I shoved the thought away. It never did anything except follow people around as it pleased. But for some reason I did not feel it was a good idea to let on I knew it was there.

The hose finally unwound all the way and I bit my lip in concentration as I flicked through the hose head settings until I found jet. '_Perfect' _I thought mischievously. I pressed up against the trailer waiting for someone to come by. It didn't take long; Mr. Crepsley came back around, still chasing Truska who was laughing and soaked from head to toe. I discarded my water gun and leapt out from behind the trailer, whipping the hose in wild circles to spray water in the greatest area. It hit Truska first and her eyes went wide; she dodged sideways and Mr. Crepsley caught the brunt of my attack. He was instantly soaked. "Got you!" I crowed jubilantly.

My mentor kept trying to grab the hose from me but I spun in circles until I was dizzy, catching him in the face with water every time until he fell back. "Cheating are you?" He asked in mock annoyance.

I shrugged innocently. "I am merely using the tools at my disposal!" I said and sprayed Mr. Crepsley straight through the ghost.

"Hold up," Mr. Crepsley said and approached with his hands in the air. "I have a proposition." He briefly explained what he had in mind and my eyes lit up along with his. Our laughter echoed through the camp as we got into position and then our rampage began.

Mr. Crepsley had sat me on his shoulders so I had extra height with the hose. Then with his sheer speed and the amount of water I had we absolutely decimated the entire camp. When a cease fire was called by Mr. Tall after dumping water out of his hat several times the entire camp was soaking wet. The trailers were dripping, puddles covered the ground and not one person including the Little People had escaped Mr. Crepsley and I. The vampire set me on the ground and I high-fived him. "We did it," I said and sat right in a puddle.

"Through underhanded means yes," Mr. Crepsley said.

I arched an eyebrow at him. "It was totally worth it," I said.

"Indeed," Mr. Crepsley said and brushed at his clothes. Apparently realizing he looked half drowned he stalked off toward his trailer obviously intent on changing.

I laughed and bounced back toward the trailer Evra and I had begun to share and also changed into dry clothes, hanging the wet ones on a line to dry. The ghost had gone again. I knew it was still in camp, I could feel it further away but it was more of a faint tickling on the back of my mind instead of the heaviness when it was right by me.  
Evra came into the trailer and went into the bathroom to change. When he came back out he flopped on the bed and sighed. "That was awesome," he said dreamily. "I want to do that every single day!" He pointed at me and chuckled. "You and Mr. Crepsley were quite scary."

"There is no reason why we can't do it more often," I said happily.

Evra cocked his head when Truska called. "Got to go!" He said and dashed off, his shoes squishing on the ground.

I smiled and set off. I had decided that ghost or not, Sam or not I wanted to find out what the thing was doing. So I would follow the "ghost" the rest of the day. Of course I would try to make it look like I wasn't following the thing specifically, but going about my business.

The ghost walked around camp for a couple hours straight, and finally I figured out that it did have directions in mind, it just _seemed_ to choose them randomly. I wondered if it did that in case someone was able to sense it? Or possibly it just had to go with whatever thing it thought up first. In any case I left it alone but when I went back to the main part of camp it followed me, keeping pace so perfect it was like having a stalker right behind my left shoulder. It felt like a vague prickling on the back of my neck; unpleasant and very bothersome. Finally I got so fed up I went back to the trailer and entered the bathroom. The ghost left and I smiled triumphantly, leaving the trailer right away. I nearly crashed into Mr. Tall when I stepped out the door and the Cirque owner peered down at me from under his hat.

"How is your shoulder?" Mr. Tall asked.

"Fine," I said smiling widely. But my happiness was wiped away by Mr. Tall not returning my smile at all. Instead he frowned and swept past me without another word. Was he angry at me for the Wolfmans death? The monster had been a popular act. Subdued I wandered around until I came across Mr. Crepsley blow drying his cloak next to a trailer. I stared at him for a moment. "You know humans invented dryers for a reason?" I asked amused.

Mr. Crepsley shook his head. "I refuse to put my clothing through the abuses of human machines."

"A blow dryer doesn't count?" I said.

"No. My cloak is not being "tumble dried," or however the term goes," Mr. Crepsley said firmly.

I laughed. "How do you think the rest of your clothes get clean?"

Mr. Crepsley looked horrified for a moment and set down the blow dryer. "I will return," he said and swept away towards Mr. Talls tent, looking much less imposing without his customary cloak sweeping behind him. He was no doubt going to attempt a banning of all washing machines and dryers.

I finished drying the cloak and left it on the line after unplugging the blow dryer and setting it next to the trailer. Beyond the trailer the woods stretched out and I could just make out the place where the Wolfman had attacked. Almost in a trance I left the edge of camp and walked toward it, my shoulder stinging more and more the closer I got. Blood caked the area, but there was no way to tell where I had laid or Sam. Our blood had mixed together, staining the grass dark red. Claw marks in the mud had yet to fade away and I traced them, crouching on the ground in the midst of the mess. Something had happened here to mess up destiny. What had I done to change everything? In the heat of the moment nothing had seemed right. I wouldn't have gotten bitten if Mr. Crepsley had showed up a little sooner. Was it his fault that the future had been driven off track? But it had been me getting bit that had changed things, so technically it was both of us.

Now something in my body had changed, deeper then even the vampire blood. I could feel it singing in my bones, a pull to let it out. Whatever "it" was, I didn't want to know. The urge to bite, and kill anything that annoyed me was growing stronger with each night. Even with Mr. Tall I had wanted to rip the frown off his face with my claws. I worried about waking in the middle of the night with blood under my nails and in my mouth. But on the other hand I wanted to hunt. I wanted to feel flesh under my hands and the rapid, panicked breathing of prey as it realized there was no escape. My new senses only gave me opportunities to carry out my wishes. I could smell every time someone accidently hurt themselves enough to draw blood and I automatically labeled them the weakest target.

"Darren!"

I turned around so fast I almost sat in the dried blood and saw Evra running toward me. When he caught up he looked around with a sad expression. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I had something to work out," I said in a much deeper voice then normal. I could scent the food Evra had eaten recently on his skin; something meaty and good. It made the snake boy smell like food.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes…" I said absently. Would snake be stringy? I had never thought about it before. I licked my lips eagerly.

Evra took a step backwards.

Right away my mind snapped to attention and I tilted my head, springing toward the snake boy. My hand lashed out, aiming for his jugular. One quick blow and it would be over. But at the last second my hand settled on his back in a jerky patting motion. I came to a stop right at his side and swallowed. "I'm fine," I said and grinned toothily. Hunting out in the open was a foolish idea.

Evra smiled back, but he looked nervous. The whole way back to camp he kept looking over his shoulder at me.

I barely noticed Evras actions. My hands were deep in my pockets to keep them from reaching out toward the walking five course meal in front of me. I was so hungry. But I kept telling myself to wait. Wait until tonight. Five hours until dark and then my appetite would be sated. Smelling the ground where the Wolfman had attacked had ended up not bothering me, but urging on the little voice inside me. I had been able to smell him during the attack; his bloodlust and _hunger. _

"I have to go help Mr. Crepsley," Evra said and gave me one last look before dashing off.

I twitched once but forcefully turned away from Evra and went back to the trailer. Five hours. I could do this.

For two more hours I occupied myself with the ghost, but it vanished completely around six. Either it had found what it was looking for or maybe nothing at all. I was going through an internal conflict about the beast that was waking up inside me. I had decided that going out tonight would be too dangerous; I could kill one of the humans. Whatever was wrong with me wasn't going to be fixed with a bit of medicine and a bandage. But I could help myself and not give into the urges at all. If I wanted to hunt I would lock myself inside. I knew if I gave altogether my mind might never come back. What would happen if I told Mr. Crepsley? The look Evra had given me hurt deeply, but he was right to be afraid.

I shut out everyone I came across and went back to the trailer. None of them smelled as good, but I didn't want to take any chances. I didn't even come out for dinner, though I could smell the steak cooking outside. Mr. Crepsley came in at one point but besides grunting I did not respond to him. After the fact I thought I had even growled at him. Nothing I did kept the monster inside me calm. I dove through chip bag after chip bag in the cupboards that Evra and I kept for midnight snacks but that did nothing. I really wanted hot fresh meat and only that would soothe the itch. I watched movies, played chess and checkers against myself and tried to slow my breathing. I shut the windows but after awhile left one open a bit. Shutting myself off from the smells completely only made it worse. I felt pulled in two very different directions and I hated it.

By the time Evra came back to the trailer I had taken up position in a chair next to the window. We smiled at each other and I apologized profusely for acting strange. Finally I had someone to play games with and we got out every game we had in the trailer, playing until Evra's eyes were drooping. The snake boy went to bed and I studied him for awhile from my place. It was odd. I saw him from two very different points of view. On one hand he was my best friend. On the other he was a walking bag of flesh and bone to be eaten without remorse. Unfortunately I agreed with both views. Perhaps I would be better off with Mr. Tiny. He seemed to see the world the same way I did now. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, doing everything possible to stay up. My eyes felt so heavy and I just wanted to close them for a short nap. Tomorrow morning I would spill everything to Mr. Crepsley. He would have the answers. Right? I thought of the Wolfmans cage and shivered; if they tried to put me in there, I would run.

Mr. Tiny was no doubt coming; it was just a matter of time. But if I did not get these urges under control before he showed up, I could possibly try to rip his throat out too. If I did that my life would be forfeit.

I stared out the window. All I had to do was stay awake. If I stayed up the monster wouldn't shift into a better position over my body. All I had to do…

The last thing I saw before falling asleep was the moon, shining in my eyes until I could see nothing else.

Moonlight washed over my face when I opened my eyes, staring directly at the light with narrowed eyes. Behind him Evra slept peacefully. The camp was asleep too and Mr. Crepsley had retired early. The moon was high in the sky, hanging over the forest with a lure that I could not resist. I got out of the chair and slid the window open all the way, nostrils flaring when the cool nighttime air rushed in. I jumped onto the roof of the trailer in one bound and crouched there for a moment before clicking across the roof, my nails much longer then normal. I stalked through the camp and forest for a few hours, content to roam for awhile. My new territory needed patrolling and I learned a path through the forest and around the edges of camp. Mice flew underfoot but I did not even blink. I had bigger prey in mind tonight. Eventually my hunger won I fell into a hunting position in some bushes, only waiting a short time before something wandered too far from the nest.

The prey walked directly in front of me, and I bared pointy teeth, drool trailing down from one canine. The moment the prey walked by his hiding place, I leapt, slamming into its side with bone breaking force. I sank my teeth into its jugular and it went down, slipping in its own blood. I ripped into flesh, devouring it hungrily. I had been denied food so long and the meat slipping into my stomach sated my hunger nicely. When my stomach bulged I tilted my head back to the moon and howled, blood dripping down my neck.

I looked down at the remains of what I had eaten and chuckled throatily.

A five course meal indeed.

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**R&amp;R Please? Again I am sorry!**


	4. Chapter 4-Dirt Monsters

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I cannot apologize enough for being off the radar so long. I was super busy and then just not feeling well in general. I'm getting over a cold now. My other story will be updated soon (_I promise_) soon as I feel better. This one may be updated first because I had some done for A Boy Called Shadow and then my computer crashed... **

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Rain splattered across my face, making my face muscles twitch. I opened my eyes and came face to face with a pair of dead eyes. I rolled over away from the dead thing with a yelp and sat up.

The dead creature turned out to be a deer. Its body was ripped apart, the entire middle gone. Strewn around the kill were pieces of flesh and bone. And blood. Lots and lots of blood. I couldn't smell anything but that. The deer looked to have been dragged here, further away from camp before being eaten as I could see a trail of red leading into the bushes. Pieces of cloth were also strewn about, which was confusing until I looked down and saw I was stark naked. After a thorough onceover I came to the conclusion that I was not injured. Blood covered me too and I didn't take a close look at the claw marks decorating the trees around the kill. I let the rain wash some off it off before getting up and wobbling on unsteady legs toward the edge of the bushes. By the light I could tell it was just past sunrise. I was in state of shock. I was grateful that it had turned out to be Evra or any of the others. Another good thing was the itch was gone. I felt a lot more stable besides the heightened senses.

However, now I was going to have to walk into camp naked. There was no cloth pieces left bigger then a hamster. But before I worried about that I had to hide the kill somehow or at least disguise it more. If anyone else came out here they would immediately think of the Wolfman, because there was no natural beast with claws that big.

I kicked dirt all over the place to soak up some blood and dragged the deer over on its other side to hide some of the bigger claw marks on its bones. More dirt was applied from other areas and I scratched up the claw marks to try and hide just how deep they were. My own hands fell over the marks, my fingers aligning with them perfectly. But on another tree my hands couldn't match the width of the marks. There was no evidence of another like me so I wondered if the marks that matched up with my hands was at the beginning or end of my change. Because I had changed. There was no way my nails could have made marks that big.

When I had done the best job I could of making the deer look less ripped apart then it was I stared at the edge of camp. Soon someone would figure out I wasn't there. At first Evra would think I was with Mr. Crepsley and vice versa. I moved away from the kill and sat behind a bush so only my head was scanning the camp for activity. I was not going to walk in there naked, so the wait until someone came out had begun.

Eventually two figures walked out of camp, heading in my general direction toward the forest. It was Evra and Truska. I palmed a few small pebbles and threw them at their feet. It took several tries for one of them to notice but eventually Truska pointed in my direction and I waited until they came over. I double and triple checked that everything important was well hidden behind the bush. "Hey," I said ruefully when they came within hearing distance.

Evra stared at me. "What happened?" He was staring at the blood on me that I hadn't managed to get off.

I blushed faintly. "I guess I was sleepwalking. But uh, I am kind of naked." I was cold too. The rain felt like ice pinging on my skin. Spring was late this year.

Truska giggled and started heading back to camp, hopefully to get clothes.

"Since when do you sleepwalk?" Evra asked.

"Now?" I said.

"Does this have anything to do with-"

I cut Evra off before he could say anything else and shook my head, gesturing to below the bush. "I have to talk about something with Mr. Crepsley. But I don't want to do that naked," I said awkwardly. "Afterward I'll tell you everything," I promised.

"Alright," Evra said smirking.

We waited in silence until Truska came back with a loose pair of sweatpants and a shirt. She apologized for not being able to find boxers and then the two turned around while I slipped into the clothes.

"Thanks!" I said to Truska who nodded, still looking amused.

Finding Mr. Crepsley was easy. He was sitting in his coffin going over new letters and some simple words. At first he looked up, holding the notebook out hopefully, but upon seeing my strange outfit and serious expression he sobered and snapped the book shut. I closed the trailer door behind me and made sure the windows were locked before perching on the far end of the coffin.

"I was sleepwalking naked in the forest," I said bluntly.

"Really," Mr. Crepsley said, raising an eyebrow toward me.

"I told you that the bite was fine," I said quickly. "Well…I think I'm sick." I stared at my folded hands, unable to look up and see my mentors' reaction when he found out just how much I had been hiding the past few days. "My senses are beyond any vampires. I can smell down to the ingredients in food sometimes. My hearing and eyesight are way better too. That day I was acting odd? I was having sensory overload until I figured out how to filter things." I sighed heavily. "And I am having urges that don't belong to me." _'But they do,' _a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind. "Things I would never normally do."

"Does this have anything to do with sleepwalking naked?" Mr. Crepsley asked. He didn't sound worried yet.

"Yes. I killed a deer. I don't remember doing it but I woke up next to the kill with blood all over me. And there were marks. Claw marks. Some of them were my hand size, but others…" I trailed off and looked up at Mr. Crepsley who was staring at me intently. "Were too big. I think I somehow changed out in the woods." I looked down again. "Yesterday evening all I could think about was hunting, killing something. Even Evra. Then I woke up next to the deer."

"It is not uncommon for vampires to feel bloodlust occasionally," Mr. Crepsley said thoughtfully. He got up and stretched. "Show me the deer," he ordered.

I led my mentor out of camp and down past where my friends had found me. I halted just outside the little area and pointed. The kill didn't look nearly as bad, but it was still awful. "I flipped the deer over to hide some marks and kicked dirt all over the place," I explained as Mr. Crepsley moved into the clearing. He paced around the deer after flipping it over easily and looked between the marks on it and the poorly hidden on all the trees. He had me hold up my hand, fingers spread apart to several trees. The largest ones I had to strain my fingers to spread out that far, but I could do it now, when I hadn't been able too before. But then again I hadn't tried too hard.

"What can you smell now?" Mr. Crepsley asked in the same calm voice that did a lot toward steadying my nerves. He had already sniffed too, so I supposed he was comparing my scent to his.

I sniffed the air a couple times with my head tilted to one side. "Everything is really faint now. But when I first woke up I could smell everything. The blood. The deer's sweat and fear, the mud that we stirred up. Now?" I shrugged. "Blood and your scent."

Mr. Crepsley ran a hand down his scar and frowned. Now I could smell a tendril of worry in his scent. "What can you smell from me?" He said it like it was just another lesson.

"You're worried," I said automatically.

"We have to inform Hibernuis ," Mr. Crepsley said gently.

I moved to Mr. Crepsley and grabbed onto his arm. "No! We can't! What if he kicks me out?"

"He would not do that. There have been far stranger things then you here," Mr. Crepsley said and smiled. He was lying.

"Don't," I said upset. "I can tell when you lie. What do you think is wrong with me?"

Mr. Crepsley stared down at me and shook his head. "I have no idea. But I think the origin is the Wolfman."

"You think I am the next Wolfman," I said without hesitation.

"No," Mr. Crepsley said firmly, and there was a spike of alarm in his scent that was quickly muffled by the same worry. He hadn't thought of that. "The differences between the Wolfman and you are numerous. If the Wolfman did indeed pass something on, we cannot rely on him for a base because his blood is mixing with Vampire as well."

I was a bit more relieved then I had been when I'd woken up now. "Oh. That's good."

"Alert me the moment you get any one of your urges again," Mr. Crepsley said and then spun me around and peered into my eyes. "I need you to think. Did you ever consider any other camp members as a prey source?"

I closed my eyes and ran back in my memory until I hit the giant black hole. Previously I hadn't dared to go near it, but now at my mentors request I hovered on the edge and then plunged in. My head snapped up as scents, sounds and feelings enveloped me. The bloodlust, and thrill of the hunt shook me all over again and my lips peeled back in a snarl that was only in memory. The deer fell beneath my claws once more and I opened my eyes after the howl. For a moment my vision was blurry and I had to blink several times before I could focus on Mr. Crepsley. "I don't know," I said dejected at the answer. I looked down at my hands which had been fisted in my shirt and pulled them free. Shreds of my shirt fell away and I gulped.

Mr. Crepsley studied my face again before leading me back toward camp. His calm exterior did nothing for my fear, as I could smell his worry. He was heading right for Mr. Talls trailer. There was no time to consider running away before the vampire was knocking on the door.

Mr. Tall opened it and looked down at us. His eyes flitted over me and the corners of his mouth turned down. "Yes?"

"May we come in?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

Mr. Tall stepped aside and I followed Mr. Crepsley in, standing half behind him when Mr. Tall passed. The man took off his top hat and sat behind a desk, swiveling in the chair to stare at us. "What is it?"

Mr. Crepsley glanced at me and then told Mr. Tall everything that I had told him, including my deer kill. He spoke for what seemed like hours, pausing every so often to take a breath and gather his thoughts. He shared his opinion that thinking I would become like the Wolfman would be harsh, which made my heart swell with gratitude.

"I see." Mr. Tall spun the top hat between his fingers; I hadn't seen him lift it off the desk. He turned dark eyes on me. "I agree. While his predicament is an odd one I do not think he will become the Wolfman if he remains strong." He flipped the top hat upside down and sighed heavily. "You already feel the hunger do you not? The urge to kill at the slightest provocation? It is so deep inside that your very soul sings with it, correct?"

I nodded numbly.

"It is going to get worse," Mr. Tall said brusquely.

"What?" Mr. Crepsley exclaimed.

"It is six days until the full moon. Each day that passes will bring those still partially buried instincts to the surface until you are on the verge of insanity. After the full moon passes those urges will recede somewhat until the next moon," Mr. Tall said and the hat stopped moving.

I couldn't think of anything to say so I just stared at my hands.

"Have you changed?" Mr. Tall asked.

"Yes," I whispered. "I don't know how much though."

"The moment you change depends on how you will be influenced," Mr. Tall said, sounding like he was gearing up for a lecture.

"Huh?" I said.

"There is a difference between shifting in a moment of rage versus calm. On one hand you could be wild but manageable by your friends with a bit of watchfulness. On the other you could be a raving monster, with nothing on his mind but destroying whatever it is that made him angry." Mr. Tall said.

Mr. Crepsley leaned back in his chair and ran a hand down his face. "What do we do?" He looked pale but still determined.

Mr. Tall turned his gaze back onto my mentor. "Keep an eye on him. The closer it gets the more violent he will become. Be careful you don't let him get stronger than you. The moon will fill him with strength far beyond his bodies' normal capacity. When you think it is time lock him up until it passes and preferably drug him. Otherwise he may injure himself trying to escape." His eyes went back to me. "He will become so strong that even I could have a problem with him."

I slumped down and put my head into my hands. "I'm sorry," I said miserably.

Mr. Crepsley put a hand on my shoulder. "It is not your fault," he reassured me. "How do you know all this?" He asked Mr. Tall.

"I knew the Wolfman before he became a monster," Mr. Tall said simply. "He too was bitten, and changed. But his first full moon was a disaster and the rampage he went on stained his soul too much. However, you Darren have a better chance. The luck of the vampires is on your side." He put his hat on and showed us outside. Before I went after Mr. Crepsley who was already several feet away he gripped my chin and turned me toward him, bending down to whisper in my ear. "When the power is just under the surface of your skin tell Larten." He released me and I stumbled backward.

"What?"

"You will understand." Mr. Tall looked at the sky and his lips twisted. "Possibly in as little as four days." He sighed. "I do hope Desmond stays away until after the moon has passed."

"You think he would kill me?" I asked nervously. Hadn't Mr. Tall said otherwise?

"No. But his…enthusiasm could get out hand," Mr. Tall said and waved me off, turning to his trailer and shutting the door behind him with a authoritative click.

I stood there silently until Mr. Crepsley came back and gently steered me away. We had to find somewhere I could go that was far, far away from everyone else. But with the numerous towns all around us I didn't have much hope for that. The camp stayed close to towns for a reason. "Where will I go?" I asked Mr. Crepsley desperately.

"Perhaps there are caves somewhere in the forest," Mr. Crepsley said. He rubbed his chin. "Have you informed Evra?"

"No," I said miserably. "Not entirely…"

"In other circumstances I would release the information for the entire camp as this involves their safety," the vampire said sternly.

"But?"

"With the threat of Mr. Tiny on the horizon sending out information like that could be disastrous. I do not expect we will hide what the Wolfman did for more than a day after he comes, however I do not want him anywhere near you on your first moon." Mr. Crepsley looked suddenly weary. "That man twists people. Having influence over your wolf form would be like asking for a bullet to the temple."

I swallowed hard. "I don't think I'm violent on a regular basis. Just very reactive." I made a face. "To the point of ridiculousness. If I get mad I think about ripping throats out. If I'm hungry I view people as food if I don't eat quickly."

"Which comes back to what Hibernuis said. How you change will influence what you do while shifted. That is why you killed the deer."

"So just keep me in a good mood." I said.

"On the full moon I have the suspicion that whatever mood you are in will not make a difference," Mr. Crepsley said. He sighed and gave me a half smile. "I have the solution."

"Really?" I said excited.

"Yes. I will not tell you."

The excitement drained from me, replaced by annoyance which I showed by flashing my teeth at Mr. Crepsley. "Why not?"

"I need to prepare and it is best if you do not know where you will be held. If you do escape, then you will have a harder time finding camp. That will buy me time to recapture you," Mr. Crepsley said. My mentor took off, and I turned away from him, forcing myself not to follow and learn what he was doing.

Instead I paced around the camp, searching for any other signs of the ghost, but it was well and truly gone. I knew I was delaying the time until I would have to tell Evra everything, but every time I saw him my feet turned and carried him in the opposite direction. This time I had something in mind. I knew Truska was an avid animal lover and she had plenty of books in her trailer, which had become a sort of open library during certain hours.

I poured over books on dogs and wolves but every time I started reading about dogs I got offended on a deeper level and gave that part up. I learned more about wolves in one day then I had in years and finally snapped the last book shut. They were very pack orientated; I'd known that before but not the how the pack order was done. Perhaps I could make myself think of the entire camp as a giant pack and that would get me to leave everyone alone. But how I would impress that fact into my own head as a wolf I had no idea. Plus I didn't know how my wolf self would fit into the pack. Was I the omega? Beta? Alpha? I left the trailer after carefully putting the books back exactly where they were and sat on the steps in silence. The memories from last night were all disjointed and confused. The more information I gathered, the more I didn't think my actual body size increased all that much. Certainly not enough to make claw marks that big! There hadn't been any sign of someone else though, but the scents could have been hidden underneath all the blood. The idea of another wolf made a happy rumble pass between my lips before I could stop it. Tonight I would make myself remember what happened and see if there another.

"Darren!" Evra called and jogged over. His bright expression faded away when he saw my serious one. He settled next to me and gave me a onceover. "Is something wrong?" His scent flowed off him, worried and anticipatory at the same time.

"Yes," I said and the entire story poured out of me after I checked our surroundings for anyone else who might overhear. When I was done I stared at my feet, watching the raindrops roll as the weather returned with a vengeance. There had been a spike in Evras' scent and I couldn't bear to look and see his horrified and most likely frightened expression.

"Don't worry," Evra said and clapped me on the back which made me jump. His smile had returned full force. "We've had much more dangerous freaks join up with us in the past. Your state is just a condition and it can be managed just like everything else. Besides I think its pretty cool you can smell emotions now."

I grinned back. "I think there is another one like me out there," I said happily.

"Well, yeah. It's highly unlikely you are the only one like that in the world," Evra said.

"No, I mean close by," I said quickly. "There were other claw marks by the deer that I know couldn't have been made by me. They were bigger, like the other wolf had been much older."

"Did you tell Mr. Crepsley?" Evra asked.

I shook my head and picked at my pants. "Nah. I think this wolf is much more in control then I am. Besides if there is someone else I don't want to scare them off with the vampire poking around."

"Do you know if it's a male or female?"

"Nope," I said.

"Try to remember the next time you go romping naked through the forest," Evra said matter of factly and smirked at my blush.

I shoved the snake boy and soon we were rolling on the ground in a mock battle which ended when I sat on his stomach and pinned him easily. "Wolves don't need clothes!" I said indignantly, shaking mud out of my hair.

"Someday there won't be anyone to rescue your naked butt from the woods so maybe you should bring extra pants along," Evra said still giggling. Then his laughter reached new heights, tears streaming down his face. "Whoever you were hanging out with must have gone blind!"

My jaw dropped. "Hey!" But I started to laugh too. Our fighting started up again and soon we were covered head to toe in mud and staggering through the camp like dirt monsters. We even startled Mr. Crepsley when he returned but he put us both to the ground easily and stood over us with his eyebrows raised. But the tables turned when we each grabbed one of his ankles and yanked him down.

What followed was the most epic mud battle in the history of the Cirque Du Freak. There was no mercy that day. No survivors. Mr. Tall was struck down when he stepped out of his trailer, and Truska ran screaming before some got her in the leg. Once you were hit you were considered a "zombie" and the game ended with us dragging down Cormac from the top of his trailer. We stood over the last kill and high fived.

"Look at how much laundry there is!" Came the high pitched voice of Truska and we all started to laugh again.

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	5. Chapter 5-Medic

**Thank you for the reviews!**

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"Listen up!" Mr. Tall roared over the camp noise. Everything fell silent at once and I paused in dumping a bag of road kill into the Little Peoples pen. Mr. tall peered around at us all to make sure there were no stragglers and smiled broadly. "The show will go on tomorrow night. There is much to be done until then, so I expect everyone to do their part!" The man vanished and the camp came alive again, people scurrying this way and that. Some went to the board to see their part in the show while others set to work on props.

A floaty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and I almost didn't move before a Little Person chomped on my fingers. I dumped the bag of meat and tossed the bloody bag into the trash. Last night we had moved to our new location and it was nice to be away from where I had been bitten. I didn't expect to be in the show but it would be neat to see everything behind the scenes. I took out a notebook that looked brand new and settled on the ground.

Before I helped out I had to work on making Mr. Crepsley a new set of lessons in reading. He had advanced far more then I thought he would in such a short time. Since I would be indisposed in a few days due to the moon I wanted to make extra tough lessons to keep him busy. Unfortunately since we'd moved Mr. Crepsley was out trying to find a new place for me, but I had no doubt in his skills. It was four days until the full moon and so far I hadn't felt the urge to eat people; on the other hand my senses were even stronger, along with my body strength. I had somehow ripped the door off a trailer before breakfast, tore the taps off a sink and cracked a plate when Truska handed it to me. Mr. Tall had informed me with amusement that none of that power was going away even when the moons influence faded away. It was just bad luck I had been bitten so close to the moon. My abilities would only increase from the baseline it was at now until the moon waned and then it would settle back down. If I had broken this much stuff with normal power I didn't want to see myself on the full moon.

I looked over what I'd written in the notebook and nodded satisfied. Three days worth would have to do. I shut the notebook and got up, tossing it into my backpack.

"Hey!" Evra called. He ran over to me, whipping a giant foam pop in front of him that was in the vague shape of stairs. "Give me a hand?"

"I'm not supposed to touch anything until Mr. Crepsley teaches me to control my strength," I said mournfully.

Evra laughed. "This is all scrap. It doesn't matter if you tear it up."

Brightening, I grabbed the other side of the foam and held it over my head as we made our way through camp. People gave us odd looks as we passed and I had to agree with them. We threw the foam onto a giant pile of other junk and headed back, to one of the largest trailers on the outskirts of camp.

Evra threw open the door and a cloud of dust came out. Inside, piles and piles of boxes were stacked along with dangerously leaning shelves. "Ready?"

"Where did the foam fit into this?" I asked.

"It was leaning against the door," Evra said smiling and grabbed the closest box. "We are supposed to find out if anything can be used in the future. If so repack and put it away in another trailer. Otherwise get rid of it."

"So it does matter if I break stuff," I said suspiciously.

"Nah. The chances of anything being useful in that trailer is slim," Evra said and opened the box.

I went into the trailer. Every step sent clouds of dust into my face and I coughed, waving a hand in front of my face. On two sets of shelves were heaps of prop weapons. Swords, axes, knives, daggers, maces and things I didn't have a name for. Most of them were fake but some had very real edges. I threw all the fake things out the door and hoped not to hit Evra in the face with a rubber hammer. The real things I gathered up by the hilts and set on the twin bed that was sitting in the corner of the trailer. The shelves went next, but once again I underestimated my grip and both were reduced to kindling in seconds. I sighed and wrapped the wood in the blanket from the bed and took it outside. "Why are we taking everything out of this trailer? Couldn't we just put the good stuff back in here?" I asked.

"Mr. Tall wants this trailer cleaned out so someone can stay here. He wouldn't say who, but apparently this place was used by them years ago." Evra shrugged and started loading a wagon with the stuff we had thrown out so far.

"Do you remember who used it?"

"No it already had stuff when I came. Not so much of it of course, but still a lot. "Evra started pulling the wagon away after tying down the junk.

I set to work and gave up trying to make sense of the disaster. Instead I hauled box after box out of the trailer where there would be more room to unpack them. I had just about all the boxes out when Evra returned and together we got the rest out; Evra stayed outside to wrangle the contents of the boxes and I stayed inside. The shelves I cleaned of more prop weapons, armor and random objects. Most of the stuff was beyond saving but any real weapons or armor pieces I set on the bed. All of the shelves were either wobbling or falling apart and all of them crumbled when I tried taking them outside but Evra just pointed at the wagon with a faint smile. I had the floor completely cleared by lunchtime and stared at the bed. The sheer amount of real weapons was staggering. But a few of them stood out from the rest as just being plain odd. There was a pair of leather gloves with blades that could slide out from the fingertips, which I pocketed to ask Mr. Tall if I could have it later. All of the daggers had ornate hilts and various pieces that stuck off them, apparently serving no purpose but to make the weapon flashy. I dumped all the weapons into a big box and took them outside.

"How's it going in there?" Evra asked. He was surrounded by piles and piles of stuff.

"Good. It's all cleaned out but the place is still filthy and there is the bed left. Are we supposed to furnish it?" I asked.

Evra straightened and clutched his back with a groan, staring at the mountains of stuff like he hadn't noticed just how much there was. "No we just need to clean the inside so it's livable." He grabbed some rags and two spray bottles.

I took one of each and went back into the trailer, setting to work on the walls and bed. We were almost done when I dropped the bottle and it rolled under the bed. I bent down and looked under, reaching out a hand to grab the bottle when I saw something glinting in the far corner. I grabbed the bottle and pulled the bed out from the wall, ignoring Evras confused look and leaned over. The object was silver and round, about the size of a golf ball and filled with notches that I could just fit my fingernails into. I held to my ear and shook it; a faint chiming sound came from within the thing and I sat up, showing it to Evra.

"Maybe it belonged to the old owner," Evra said thoughtfully.

'Yeah it doesn't look like any kind of prop," I said and rolled the silver thing around my hand. It was cold to the touch even with my body heat. "Think I can take it?"

"I think it would be okay. Whoever the old owner was has to be dead by now. " Evra said.

I nodded and tucked the object into my only free pocket, but I wanted to take it out and study all the notches. There had to be a way to open it. Inside could be a clue to who had slept in this trailer before. We shook out the blanket, pillows and sheet on the bed and put it back together. I was starving, but proud of what we had done. But the feeling lasted only until we got outside and saw that our tiny wagon wasn't going to stand up to the sheer amount of crap left to haul away.

Mr. Tall appeared in front of us, holding two sandwiches and bottles of water. He arched an eyebrow and nodded appreciatively, handing us the food which we took like hungry beasts. "Very nice," he said.

I swallowed a mouthful of bread and jam before speaking. "Who is going to be staying here?" I asked and stuffed another large bite into my mouth.

"I am looking for a medic," Mr. Tall explained.

"Doesn't Truska take care of all that?" Evra asked with chipmunk cheeks.

"Yes, but I would prefer a trained professional," Mr. Tall said.

"So you found someone?" I asked.

"Perhaps. She has been invited to the show tomorrow and her decision will be relayed afterward."

"Who is it?" Evra asked. "She would have to be insane to want to treat some of the people we've got here. And some of us can't be taken care of the normal way." He looked at me while speaking.

Mr. Tall winked. "Do not fret boys. She is the most qualified to deal with the oddities here. Her name is Evanna." He nodded at Evra. "I am sure you have heard of her."

"Evanna!" Evra gasped. His eyes went wide.

I looked between Mr. Tall and Evra in bewilderment. "Who is she?"

"I will leave you to inform him," Mr. Tall said and glided away a few feet before his body started to vanish, starting with his feet. When only his top hat was left it turned and tilted like the person underneath was bowing and then it too disappeared, along with every pile of junk we had yet to clean up.

"Who is she?" I asked again.

"Evanna is like Mr. Tiny but a lot less…dark. Her temper is well known, but she doesn't have the same love of chaos and pain like him. If she becomes our medic I can't see anyone dying from lack of care. She may not be like him in spirit but in power she definitely is. No one knows just how strong she is. Supposedly Evanna is the only one that can keep Mr. Tiny in check," Evra said and chuckled. "I heard she dresses in ropes and can take any shape she wants. Her age is also unknown and its rumored she could be hundreds of thousands of years old."

"Wow," I said reverently. "You've never seen her?"

"No! Hardly anyone does and it's mostly the vampires and vampaneze, along with Mr. Tall and Mr. Tiny who do."

I tried to imagine dressing in ropes and winced. No wonder she had a temper. "So someone to be respected but not necessarily feared?" I said.

"Yep. But if you piss her off don't stop running until you get to the other side of the earth," Evra said in warning.

"What's a vampaneze?" I asked.

Evra looked uncomfortable. "You'd better ask Mr. Crepsley. It's more his place to tell you about that."

I nodded. "Okay." I shut the trailer door and walked beside Evra in silence for a little while until we got to the board. The crowd had left it alone now and I stared at the list of people in the show from a distance. "Do you think I will be in the show someday?" I asked.

"Come here," Evra pulled me to the board and pointed toward the middle of the page.

I leaned forward and read Evras name off the page. Below his name was _mine. _ It was joined with Cormacs but it was still there! "W-what," I stuttered.

Evra grinned. "I have the feeling you are going to put that wayward strength to use," he said.

"But it's so close to the full moon!" I said worried.

"If you look feral that makes it all the better. Besides if Mr. Tall couldn't keep an eye on you I don't think you would be in the show. If you are really worried go talk to him," Evra said calmly.

"I think I will," I said slowly and left my friend, heading directly for Mr. Talls trailer. I knocked on the door and I only had to wait a moment before Mr. Tall ushered me inside without a word. I waited until he sat in a chair before speaking. "How will I be in the show? I may be fine right now but tomorrow night could be different."

Mr. Tall smiled. "I have a solution for your problem. It is only temporary and can only be used sparingly because wearing it for long periods at a time will make you even more dangerous when you remove it." A circle of metal appeared in his hands and he held it out to me.

I took the metal and realized it was a collar. There was a buckle and runes engraved all along the outside. Touching the thing made me feel vaguely uneasy and I quickly handed it back to Mr. Tall. "What does it do?"

"It will inhibit your ability to change into the wolf. You will have all the urges and strength but physically you will be unable to follow those wants and shift," Mr. Tall said and the collar vanished. "Regrettably, wearing it for longer than a few hours at a time will drive you crazy as the feeling of not being able to shift will tip you towards madness. But at first the collar will only be slightly uncomfortable. Before it gets any worse the show will end and I will remove it."

"I won't be able to change at all?" I said, feeling sick to my stomach. I didn't like this idea one bit.

"Perhaps your eyes but that is all," Mr. Tall said.

"I don't know," I said apprehensively.

"Think about it," Mr. Tall said and the collar appeared again. He set it on his desk and bored his gaze into me. "You do trust me to remove it?"

"I…" I frowned. "Yes. But I hate the idea."

"If the show was after the moon this would not be necessary. Weigh your want to be in the show and tell me if wearing the collar is worth it. It will ensure the safety of your friends and the crowd. Your role in the show is directly involved with both," Mr. Tall said and held out the collar.

I took it again and when my fingertips brushed over the runes they glowed green. "It would only be for a little while?" I murmured, ignoring the lurch in my stomach.

"Right before the show begins and then directly after it ends I will remove it," Mr. Tall promised.

"Okay. I'll do it," I said and tried to shove away the feeling that putting that collar on was wrong on so many levels. I set the collar delicately on the desk and swallowed hard. The scar on my shoulder stung and I rolled my neck a little. It would only be once. If a show ever fell close to the full moon again I would refuse the thing. This was going to be my first show since joining the Cirque Du Freak and I did not want to spend it cowering in my trailer because I was afraid of hurting someone.

"If you can spend extra time out tonight. Exhausting yourself as a wolf will help the feeling," Mr. Tall said knowingly.

I grinned sheepishly and turned to leave, but halfway to the door I turned back. "Have you heard anything about Mr. Tiny? Is he coming with Evanna?"

"Evanna told me she will be arriving alone," Mr. Tall said and by the tone of his voice I knew it was time to go.

I stepped out of the trailer and the door clicked shut behind me. Evra was standing against another trailer a little ways away and I went over to him, feeling the lingering sickness fade away.

"So did Mr. Tall have a answer?" Evra asked excited.

"Yeah."

"What was it?"

I entertained the idea of telling Evra for only a moment. It was bad enough Mr. Tall had something that could reduce me to a madman, I just didn't feel comfortable letting him know there was a physical object that could put me on a leash. "Some kind of spell," I said shrugging. "He will put it on me before the show." I shivered.

"Are you alright?"

"I will be. I just can't wait for tonight. I need to blow off some energy and maybe the other wolf will be there." I had found proof the night before we'd left for sure. It was getting easier to remember what I did, even if the memories were still random bits and pieces and I had managed to find one of the places I had hunted. There was another, very obvious set of footprints with claws that were much bigger then mine. I had no idea who they were. My own looks when changed were beyond me let alone the other werewolf's. We tended to stay around rivers and streams, and I knew I looked in the water several times before but my own reflection was just a dark hole in my mind.

Evra seemed happy with this explanation and smiled. "You had better go see Cormac for rehearsals," he said.

The fire of excitement was relit in an instant along with nerves. "I guess so," I said trying to sound nonchalant.

"My first show I vomited on Mr. Talls shoes." Evra said. "You will be just fine."

I laughed and ran off, feeling much better and hunted down Cormac. The freaks tended to practice their acts in private, wanting to surprise the other. The only one who truly knew every detail was Mr. Tall. Cormac went over what he had in mind for the act and my smile got broader and broader. I was going to have a chance to play tomorrow night and I let out a little yipping sound of anticipation. When Cormac gave me an odd look I blushed.

"Just excited about the show," I said easily.

"Oh yeah. It should be wild," Cormac said and we got into positions.

_'Wild indeed,'_ I thought wryly and leapt at Cormac.

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	6. Chapter 6- This Should Be Interesting

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I settled into my seat between two humans, a man and woman who both stank of anticipation and fear. The collar had inhibited my shifting but none of my senses and I subtly scooted my chair away from the horrendous cologne the man was wearing. Honestly who was he trying to impress at a freak show? I tugged on the collar of my loose shirt and tried to breathe deep and even, wiping my sweaty palms on brand new jeans that had been bought specifically for me to fit in with the crowd. All things considering I had an excellent seat to watch the show, only the fourth row from the stage and not stuck behind an overly tall person. My nerves had been amplified a hundred times by Evanna telling us Mr. Tiny might be stopping in to watch the show and now I had been given the delightful task of sniffing him out, if he was even here. I had even been given a special sign to use if I found him during my act.

"This is so exciting!" The woman next to me said and chuckled.

On my other side the man bent across me slightly and I got a large whiff of his cologne which made me grit my teeth. "Indeed! If my family knew I was here…" he shuddered and thankfully settled back in his seat.

After taking several gulps of fresh air I adjusted the dark sunglasses Mr. Tall had given me. Even though I couldn't shift Mr. Tall had informed me my eyes could and would change. My shirt had a hood on it too that I was supposed to use for added effect but I highly doubted it was going to stay on as my act did not involve sitting placidly in a seat. I sniffed the air without moving a muscle and filtered through the stuff around me. If either Mr. Tiny or Evanna was sitting within a few rows from me they were hiding pretty well.

The stage suddenly lit up with blinding light and everyone in the audience-including me-either squinted, blinked or shut their eyes entirely. When the light faded Mr. Tall stood in his customary getup with his top hat held upside down in one hand, a bright red ribbon tied around it, the loose ends trailing on the stage floor. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the Cirque Du Freak," Mr. Tall said in a whisper and his hushed voice swept through the rows of seated humans, the words curling in their ears. The people on either side of me shivered and I stifled a small whine. "What you are going to witness tonight are not petty tricks," Mr. Tall promised and reached a hand into the hat, his arm vanishing up to his shoulder.

I raised an eyebrow when the man next to me gasped and hid a smile. At first Mr. Tall doing odd things like that had startled me too, but now it was just normalcy.

"They are very real," Mr. Tall said and withdrew his hand, holding a folded piece of paper into the spotlight. He threw it into the air and before the paper hit the ground the corners unfolded and the paper smoothed out. Mr. Tall bent over and tilted his head to read the paper and stretched up to his full height with the paper pinched between two fingers. "I present to you….Sive and Seersa!" He tossed the paper away and there was a brief fight in the crowd to get it as the magician glided off stage.

I loved their act, but predictably the crowd didn't and grew restless the longer the act went on. I was surprised that the woman next to me actually seemed interested but the man was the complete opposite and I seriously considered biting him before the act was over. Hans Hands came out next from a side door and I leaned forward excited. Hans did his intro and challenged someone to a race up the isles. A young man stood up and was ushered forward by Little People. The two racers crouched at the starting line and I twisted around in my seat to watch them.

"On the count of three," Mr. Tall said, shocking everyone from where he had appeared again. "One!"

"Two!" The crowd roared.

"Three."

The young man and Hans lunged forward, Hans flipping up into a handstand before dashing forward. Moments later, with the crowd shouting in excitement Hans pulled ahead and finished before the younger human had even gotten halfway down the isle.

I stood up in my seat and chuckled nastily. "I could do better then him!" I taunted, nearly sinking back into my seat when hundreds of heads swiveled in my direction. I pushed past the people along my row until I was standing in the isle near Hans. This time I had to keep my hood up and I gently adjusted it by flicking my head a little. The movement was probably taken as attitude which was fine by me.

Hans sniffed. "Very well." He waved a hand and we lined up, me crouching down in a runner's stance.

The Little People stepped aside in one fluid motion and we were off like two bullets; I wasn't going to beat him but I gave it an honest effort. Halfway down the isle a foot was stuck out and I went flying over it, sprawling on the ground painfully. I grunted and got up, clenching my fists. Hans jogged over to me on his feet this time and held out a hand for a shake. I knocked his hand away and stomped back to my seat, pulling my hood even lower.

My entire body was shaking when I sat down but I just pressed my hands into my shirt pockets and kept my head low. The people around me were looking displeased which was exactly what I wanted but it still hurt a little. I hadn't smelled Mr. Tiny on the right and behind section of the theater which was excellent. It lowered his chances of being here a lot. I didn't really smell for Evanna because I didn't know her, and I had no idea what her scent was like.

Truska came out next without an announcement but she didn't really need one because the moment she came onto stage everyone gaped at her and I saw several females forcibly nudge their male partners for staring too much. She ran a finger down her chin and delicately stepped down from the stage marching up the isle furthest from me and nearly dragged a man out of his seat to stand in front of her. She made him hold a hand up to her chin and with amusement pulled the other one up to her other cheek as well when he showed no signs of higher brain function. A long beard started to sprout from her chin and the man tried to pull away but she didn't let go until her beard was almost down to his chest. Only then did she let go and walk back up to the stage, her beard growing the entire time. Chaos fell when she challenged everyone to try and cut her beard and the humans went nuts, using everything from scissors, their fingers and brute strength to a chainsaw that had been "left" on the corner of the stage. Everyone sidled back to their seats grumbling, but amazed and Truska left with shouts of "More, more!" At her back.

I cracked my knuckles in the brief lull between acts and let out a shaky breath.

"You had guts challenging the freak like that," the man said and held out his hand for me to shake.

I shook his hand briefly and nodded shortly. "Thanks," I muttered and turned back to the stage.

"One more act before an intermission," Mr. Tall said smoothly and vanished before most people even spotted him.

"Hello," Alexander said and tugged the baggy shirt he wore with a wry smile. "I don't get the awesome costume."

The crowd rippled with laughter.

"But I hope you enjoy this," Alexander said and pulled his shirt off. He ignored the gasps and settled a drumstick on his ribs and opened his mouth. Variations of well known songs echoed into the theater along with older ones, down to classical music like Mozart. He even got into it a bit and started tapping his feet and nodding his head along with the front row of the crowd. The act went on longer then it was supposed to because the crowd had started to sing along with most of the songs and kept calling Alexander back on for more but finally Mr. Tall came onstage and quieted things down. He allowed Alexander to do one more song before ushering the wildly grinning man off stage,

I clapped along with everyone else, delighted at the reception to Alexander. I got up with and went out into the halls that surrounded the theater itself, browsing the various wares. I passed two helpers in the show and shook my head at each of them to indicate I hadn't smelled Mr. Tiny. I highly doubted he was here. The man probably viewed our freak show as below him and boring if anything.

The intermission was only fifteen minutes and I went back to my seat before the others to get a bit of breathing time before I was forced to sit in a cloud of cologne. My nerves were heightened even more now and I tugged at the invisible collar around my neck, beginning to feel the urge to hunt down Mr. Tall and demand he take it off. The show had been going on for about an hour and I could tell the crowd was winding down, preparing for the tamer acts to end the show.

Instead Gertha and Rhamus took the stage by storm, appalling everyone with their talents. They bantered back and forth, daring each other to greater and greater feats until it seemed neither could do anymore. Rhamus ate object after object, gradually working his way up to a grandfather clock while Gertha pummeled her teeth and invited people up to try and smash them as well. I barely noticed them leave and only noticed the act had changed when Evra made the front couple rows scream at his snake when it slithered off stage.

The snake wound its way under chairs and over people's feet until half the theater was standing on their chairs. It crawled right to me and curled up and around my leg, winding gently up my body until its entire body was tight around me, its tongue licking my ear through the hood. The humans on either side of me screamed and jumped backwards. I held very still as Evra made his way through the crowd to stand in front of me.

"She likes you," Evra said chuckling and the people eventually sat back in their chairs. He held out his hand and the snake hissed, bobbing her head. He frowned and motioned for me to get up.

I stood and unsteadily moved to the center of the isle. The entire theater had its attention on us again and I straightened my shoulders, plastering a scowl on my face. "Get it off!" I demanded.

"Easy pal," Evra said annoyed and started to unwind the snake.

The snake had barely been completely taken off me when I pointed accusingly at Evra. "This entire show is a joke!" I said smirking. "The actors are clearly fake, the costumes cheaply made and the acts themselves…" I shuddered.

"Sit back down," Evra ordered.

I laughed and waved my hands in the air, stalking down the isle. "Make me snake boy."

A man got up from his seat and moved toward me with a furious look on his face. "Sit down! You are ruining the show!" He hissed and the crowd murmured along with him.

I shoved the man in the chest and he stumbled backwards and then made a motioning hand gesture at him, challenging him to come and fight me.

The man rushed and I bounced on the balls of my feet, waited until he was almost at me and then back flipped, landing on the backs of two chairs in the audience. Their occupants looked up at me horrified and I chuckled at them before walking on the chairs toward the man who had dodged to another isle.

I jumped toward him and we grappled, but I once again dodged away, spinning like a top onto another couple chairs, but this time I crouched and sniffed the air for a moment before dancing out of reach. Our game continued all over the theater, the man making an effort to get me and I performed dangerous acrobatics to stay out of his grasp. At one point I ran up the wall and flipped into the crowd, causing many to leap out of their seats. I paused at one point over a section of seats for a long moment but dodged away seconds later after eyeballing the humans.

"You are great at running away," the man chided. He was standing up on the stage with his hands on his hips.

I stopped at the opposite end of the isle and looked at the man with my head tilted. "What?"

"You heard me! Come on _boy!_ Show me what you've got!" The man beckoned.

I let out a chuffing growl and charged. The time for playing was over. Out of my sleeves I pulled two long blades and I spun them through the air. The hood which had been clipped to stay up fell down finally and I slashed my blades down. Both of the mans arms were cut off just above his wrist. Blood spurted everywhere and the crowd screamed. I didn't stop cutting and more pieces of his arm joined the rest on the floor, just like I was slicing a loaf of bread. My blades moved so fast that they were nothing but a blur of steel. When the man had nothing below the shoulder and had sunk to his knees I laughed loudly.

People screamed and some were reaching into their pockets for cell phones while others had abandoned their company and were running for the exit.

The man raised his shoulder stumps and got to his feet, chuckling softly. It took awhile for the sound to carry but when it did person after person turned toward the stage bewildered and scared. He started to laugh even harder and I watched as out of his bloodied stumps hands started to grow and then arms. A minute later his arms and hands were back, clean and baby smooth. He raised them above his head and wriggled his fingers and the crowd gaped back at him.

"Introducing…Cormac Limbs!" Mr. Tall said unnecessarily from a corner, making everyone jump and nodded at me. "And his assistant Darren Shan."

Cormac clapped me on the back and I gave an awkward bow which the crowd answered by clapping and stomping their feet. I smiled and bowed again and someone from the crowd grabbed me and Cormac by the ankles, pulling us off balance and into the mass of humanity. They patted us on the back and handed us off from person to person until I had no idea where I was and I fought to get out of the crowd, starting to panic at the sheer amount of scents and sounds.

Someone grabbed me by the collar, yanking me out of the crowd and I sprawled on the ground looking up at a man dressed in a tuxedo. He smiled and offered a hand which I took and he hauled me upright. "Great show," he complimented.

"Thanks," I said and dashed off toward Mr. Tall and Cormac who had managed to escape quicker.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Mr. Tall asked as Mr. Crepsley came onstage.

"Yes," I said grinning from ear to ear. Mr. Tall led me to a corner and discreetly removed the collar from around my neck and vanished it. "I couldn't tell if Mr. Tiny or Evanna was there though. Sorry."

"It is fine. Evanna assured me he was not there tonight. She has also accepted the position and will be moving into the trailer you and Evra cleaned out," Mr. Tall said and then left in the blink of an eye.

I was left to rub the bare skin on my neck, still shaking off the lingering urge to bite Mr. Tall for even daring to put it on me in the first place. From now on I would refuse to do a show close to the full moon instead. I walked backstage and waited until the show finished, touching my neck every so often. Evra came back and congratulated me and together we helped to clean up.

"Evanna is coming," I said while we stacked chairs.

"This should be interesting," Evra mused quietly and carried his dangerously large stack toward the wall where more teetering piles of chairs sat.

"She can't be _that_ bad," I said.

"No, not compared to Mr. Tiny at least. But just like him don't expect to hide your wolfishness for long. That woman is sharp," Evra said. He set down the last stack with relief and wiped his palms.

I trailed after Evra mentally agreeing with him. I could barely make it through the hour without breaking something or trying not to bite. "You are completely right. This should be interesting…"

* * *

**R&amp;R please? **


	7. Chapter 7- Evanna

**A.N. Thank you for all the awesome reviews!**

* * *

A sharp knock on the door startled me from a restless nap and I shot upright, pulling my cheek from yet another book about wolves. I yawned and stumbled to the door, opened it and came face to face with a much too smug Mr. Crepsley. He studied me with a raised eyebrow and brought a piece of toast out from behind his back.

"What is it?" I asked and snatched the toast, crunching irritably.

"Evanna will be arriving in half an hour and you look like you have just crawled out of a crypt," Mr. Crepsley said.

"Humph," I said and crunched on the bread. There was a huge difference today and I didn't like it. Mr. Crepsley hadn't even done anything but been his normal self and already I wanted to slam him to the ground by his scruff.

"Are you safe?" Mr. Crepsley demanded.

"Marginally," I said and stuffed the rest of the toast into my mouth. Three days to go and I felt like killing something. I hadn't even gotten to roam last night which didn't help matters.

"Well you have no time to clean yourself up. Mr. Tall wishes to speak with us before Evanna arrives." My mentor turned and stalked off, cloak billowing behind him. Under his cloak I could see the journal of lessons strapped to his belt.

I rolled my eyes and stuffed my hands in my jean pockets to stop myself from ripping the cloak right off his back. The walk through camp was brief and I kept my gaze on the ground. When we got to the trailer I was a bit alarmed to find that I had torn holes in my pockets with my nails. I wrenched my hands free and stuck them in my armpits while Mr. Crepsley knocked on the door.

Mr. Tall let us inside and we took our usual spots. "Darren have you figured out what status you are in the wolf kingdom?" He asked without hesitation.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Alpha, beta or omega," Mr. Tall said patiently.

"No, no I know what they are. I've been researching. But how would I know without a pack?"

"In your case it is slightly different," Mr. Tall said still with the patient tone and flipped a giant book out of thin air. It hit the floor and made a giant cloud of dust pop up. "Werewolves do not follow the same pack rules as wolves. Yes, there are still alphas, betas etcetera, but the status of a werewolf is decided shortly after turning." He leaned back and tented his fingers, eyeing me speculatively.

"Mind informing me what the rules are?" I was in no mood for Mr. Talls obvious interest. I wasn't a test subject.

"A new beta is right in the middle of the pack. Betas can rise to alpha status through killing the current alpha. Omegas cannot. If someone is bitten and becomes an alpha they will form a pack of their own and the power of the alpha is equal to that of the pack in its entirety. An alpha with one member would not withstand another with twenty," Mr. Tall explained. "Newly turned betas and omegas need to find a pack quickly before hunters catch them."

"Oh," I said. What else was there to say?

"Freshly turned can only be alphas if the one who bit them was an alpha or if their parents were alphas. Alpha doesn't have to mean alpha werewolf either if it's the parents. Merely one of your parents had to have had alpha behavior."

"But everyone's parents have a bit of alpha in them at some point," I said.

"It runs deeper then that," Mr. Tall said.

"I don't know which I am, sorry," I said.

"Alphas have red eyes. Omegas have blue and betas yellow. Have you ever seen your eyes change?" Mr. Tall asked.

"No," I shook my head. I couldn't remember most of what went on in the first place, let alone my eyes.

"Will you allow me to check your blood?" Mr. Tall asked.

I snapped my eyes up from where they had drifted to the wall. "Why?"

"I want to see how the two bloodlines have mixed. No one has figured out whether or not the blood of a vampire or werewolf is stronger. The two could still be battling now."

I sighed and extended one hand.

Mr. Tall sliced a nail across my palm and waited until blood welled onto his thumb he sealed the cut and stuck his thumb into his mouth, rolling the blood around thoughtfully for almost an entire minute. "Interesting. The battle has already ended." He laid his gaze on me. "You are no longer a half vampire."

"What!" Mr. Crepsley exploded.

A pit opened up in the bottom of my stomach. Not a vampire? How was that possible?

"Darren is a full blooded werewolf now. Whether alpha, beta or omega I do not know but he is not part of the vampire clan any longer." Mr. Tall didn't look sad about this. In fact his expression screamed relief. It looked like he had been expecting me to have a fatal illness and I had just been cleared.

I got up and the scars on my shoulder ached briefly. "Well. There is nothing to it? I will find out what I am." I turned for the door but I hadn't made one step before Mr. Crepsley called me back and I turned around.

Mr. Crepsley looked regretful but his words were crisp, clear and to the point, each one slicing a hole in my gut. "I, Larten Crepsley renounce Darren Shans apprenticeship to the vampire clan. He is free to go where he wills." He got up from the chair and breezed past me, through the door.

I gaped after Mr. Crepsley. The man had taken me, ruined my entire life to save Steve and now he was casting me aside like a piece of old food just because I wasn't his species anymore. I threw open the door so hard it bounced off the wall and left a hole and ignored Mr. Tall calling after me. I raced outside and chased down Mr. Crepsley. There was a woman standing in front of him, dressed in all ropes but I ignored her and ripped the journal from Mr. Crepsley's belt. "Does this mean nothing?" I screamed.

Mr. Crepsley looked at me blankly. "I do not understand?"

I threw the journal to the ground and stamped on it. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!" I howled and shoved him in the chest so hard he stumbled backwards. Tears were pouring down my face and I was so mad, so shocked that I couldn't even form the right words.

"Who are you?" The woman-Evanna asked. She looked surprised at the strength of our confrontation.

"That is Darren Shan," Mr. Crepsley said. My heart ached at the missing words of 'my apprentice.'

"YOU TURNED ME AND NOW YOU ARE JUST GOING TO LEAVE?!" I screamed and picked up the journal, ripping it into shreds which I scattered across the ground. The churning in my gut had turned into a solid rock.

Evanna turned disapproving eyes on Mr. Crepley who scowled. "It is beyond my control. You-"he sighed and looked at Evanna before committing another act that further tore our friendship apart. "Are a werewolf and as such cannot be my apprentice."

"Why? Am I not good enough for a high and mighty vampire?" I said maliciously. I knew plenty of people entered apprenticeships for all sorts of things. None of them were kicked out like this!

"It is not like that!" Mr. Crepsley roared so loudly I flinched.

"You were the one who changed my life. What am I supposed to do? I can't go home! THEY THINK I AM DEAD REMEMBER!" I screamed. I could bed down with Evra permanently now but it felt like I had just been turned upside down and shaken brutally.

"Darren…" Mr. Crepsley said.

I wiped my eyes and shook my head. "No. I understand perfectly. Have fun finding yourself someone else. I didn't know vampires were so stiff as to halt apprenticeships because of species." My fists were curled and I was close to attacking. Killing.

"You will find a pack or make one of your own," Mr. Crepsley said smoothly, but he looked shaken.

I lashed out and punched Mr. Crepsley. He flew backwards several feet and landed in a heap on the ground. "You were part of my pack," I said and fled past Evanna, whipping past her hand which was half outstretched.

I flew through the camp and to Mr. Crepsley's trailer and started stuffing my stuff in a back, wiping tears away every so often. When I was done and slinging the pack over my shoulder I paused and looked around. With a fury I attacked the trailer, flinging my former mentors belongings everywhere. Snarls and growls escaped and I slashed at the walls, his coffin and even at Madam Octas cage. When I stopped claw marks decorated the walls and I was panting, fighting back the thing just under the skin.

Nothing stopped me on the way out of camp. Everyone who glanced in my direction scuttled away when I turned anger filled eyes on them. When I was just leaving the camp someone coughed behind me and I turned to see Evanna.

"Stay," she said.

"No," I growled and bared my teeth at her.

"So you are the young werewolf?" Evanna asked like I hadn't spoken and circled me. She smiled faintly.

"What do you want?" I spat.

"For you to calm yourself," Evanna said smoothly and patted me on the shoulder. Before I could bite her a cool feeling swept through my body and I fell to the ground, my pack landing on my lap. "It burns doesn't it?" Evanna said with her hand still on my shoulder from where she crouched next to me. "Larten made the only choice he thought was an option. Vampires do not condone having another race under them as an apprentice. They are backwards in their ways."

"Yes," I said with no real force behind it because of the hand still on my arm.

"He may not be your mentor but he is still your friend. He hurts too, Darren."

I glanced at Evanna frowning but took in her words. "He told you," I said.

"Because he knows I can help you. If it had been anyone else he would not have said what you were," Evanna said gently.

I didn't know if I could forgive Mr. Crepsley today, or even next week but I knew Evanna was right about him hurting. I had been able to smell his pain and I hadn't taken the time to properly listen to it.  
"Become my apprentice," Evanna said seriously. She smiled and sat properly next to me, removing her hand from my arm. Together we looked back at the camp and she continued, probably knowing I wasn't going to answer yet. "I can teach you about werewolves. I will show you control and mastery over the change." She sounded genuine and there was no lie in her scent.

"Will I live with you?" I asked tentatively. The idea of being to shift at will was thrilling.

"In the trailer after I have finished redecorating, yes." Evanna turned to look at me out of the corner of her eye. "Under one condition. You forgive Larten and talk to him by tomorrow. I will not have you two at odds for things neither of you can control. Larten is not like other vampires and I know you are not like other werewolves."

"You know…?" I trailed off. Did she know for sure I had messed up things?

Evanna laughed. "That you messed with fate. Yes." She ruffled my hair. "Don't look so concerned. I suspect the moment of your bite was when something happened. Something good."

I frowned and shook my head. "I wish I was still a vampire."

"No. You do not. The bite changed things drastically and though I do not know how this will end, I know no matter the ending it will be a whole lot better then what would have happened," Evanna said.

I weighed my options and sighed. "I accept. I will become your apprentice and talk to Mr. Crepsley." The strange woman with the ropes was an anomaly, and someone I had just met but for some reason I trusted her with my life. I could smell the sheer power under her skin and respected that more then she probably knew.

Evanna smiled and pulled me to my feet. "Good. I Evanna do take Darren Shan as my apprentice." The moment she finished speaking a breeze swept by and my head started to buzz. Before I fell over Evanna wrapped an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward camp. "Do not worry the feeling will pass," she hummed delighted. "This is the start of a new story. The one that was supposed to be."

"Whose story?" I asked still lightheaded.

Evanna looked down at me. "Foolish boy it is yours. No interference from sources meddling with things that should not be touched. Every decision is yours and the people around you are free to choose as well."

"Why wouldn't it have gone well before?" I asked.

"Because one man got it into his head that he is above all others and we are his puppets," Evanna said and I could smell her anger.  
"But the puppets broke the strings," I said slowly, knowing exactly who Evanna was talking about and was rewarded with a laugh.

"_Exactly_ Darren, exactly."

Evanna had instructed me to arrive at the trailer at exactly seven in the evening so I gathered my courage and hunted down Mr. Crepsley after finding his scent. He was standing at the edge of the forest and I padded silently toward him, nearly tapping him on the shoulder before he turned his head. I beat him to it and shot out: "I'm sorry. I didn't know…Evanna explained."

Mr. Crepsley sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I hold part of the blame as well Darren. I suspected what would happen and I didn't warn you." There was a large bruise on his jaw.

"I shouldn't have yelled or wrecked your stuff though," I said apologetically. The full moon was no excuse. My own shoulders slumped and I stared at the ground.

Mr. Crepsley pulled me into a rib breaking hug and I responded by lifting him off the ground a bit. "It is alright," Mr. Crepsley said and I set him down carefully.

"Yeah," It still hurt that we weren't allowed to be mentor and apprentice but I was okay. "Evanna accepted me as her apprentice," I said, looking sideways at Mr. Crepsley to see how he would react.

"Good. She will take good care of you. Did she say anything else?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

"That the puppets broke the string," I said.

Mr. Crepsley nodded and smiled. "Excellent. I never did enjoy being a puppet." He strode away and I followed. His scent lightened the closer we got to camp and by the time we mingled with the rest he was back to normal. He winked at me and then was gone to berate a human for whipping a prop around.

I went back to get my stuff and stored it inside Evra's trailer for the moment and then just sat and put my chin in my hand. I had no doubt Evanna could come up with a way to subdue me on the full moon but I dreamed of having control by then. She hadn't said if it included the full moon but anything was possible.

"What happened?" Evra asked, making me jump. "I could hear shouting earlier."  
"I am no longer Mr. Crepsley's apprentice," I said still somewhat bitterly. Before Evra could say anything I continued. "Because of my new status. Vampires aren't allowed to have apprentices of any other speicies."

"That sucks," Evra commented and sat next to me.

I nodded. "It does. But I met Evanna and she took me in as her apprentice," I said proudly.

Evra gasped. "Do you know how special that makes you? I heard Evanna hasn't taken an apprentice in over four hundred years!" He looked jealous.

"Really?" I frowned.

"Are you staying with her?" Evra asked excited.

"Yep," I said smiling at my friends enthusiasm. Suddenly any doubts I had about this arrangement flew away. It was rather exciting after all.

"You have to let me see what it looks like in her trailer," Evra said and jumped to his feet.

"I can't right now. Apparently she is redecorating and I am not allowed to come until seven tonight. It's only five and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot," I said and stood up as well. "But we still need to hunt for the Little People so lets do that." I dragged Evra along with me who kept looking around like he could spot Evannas trailer. It probably wasn't even going to be in the same spot when she was done with it.

We entered the woods with bags on our shoulders and separated to hunt. The Little People group had grown overnight so we needed even more food then usual. I enjoyed being out in the forest and now I could hear every creature even better then when I had been a vampire. It was easy to sneak up on a feral cat and wring its neck. I mostly got rats and squirrels though, leaping up branches to grab the little things. There was no sign of another werewolf out here, no scents or footprints but I knew from my own activities that werewolves were capable of hiding themselves well. I hoisted the now full pack on my shoulder again and was about to head back to camp which was probably miles away by now when I heard something. A faint whimpering from behind a fallen tree.

I parted bushes and looked over the huge trunk and saw something that didn't fit, at least not in this part of the country. A tiny wolf cub was dangling upside down in a hunters trap, a rope tied tightly around its leg. I dropped the sack of dead animals and rushed to the cub, holding it up so the weight was no longer on the leg and cut the rope with my nails. The wolf was so dirty I couldn't tell what color it was and so thin I could feel all its ribs under my hands. It yipped and growled, nipping at my hands but a well placed growl back silenced its attempts at fleeing. On its shoulder was a brand in the shape of a Celtic knot, about as big as my thumb pad. I gently ran my hand over the cubs head and it whined. "What happened to you?" I asked it softly.

A branch cracked in the distance and a flock of birds took flight. Instantly I tensed and sniffed the air. Men were coming. Hunters chasing prey they had loosed for their own amusement perhaps? I shouldered the bag of meat again and tucked the cub under my other arm, trying not to jostle the leg that was injured. I ran as fast as I could and from behind I could hear the howling of dogs catching our scent too. A bullet thudded into the tree behind me and I growled irritably, starting a weaving path in and out of the trees. The Cirque was stationed in a huge field with trees all around it so once we got there the cub and I would be exposed.

The cub whimpered and I shushed it gently, dodging another bullet as it whizzed by. The sun was going down so it had to be close to the meeting time with Evanna. Maybe if I didn't show up she would look for me. My thoughts turned to Evra; he had gone in the opposite direction of me so he was most likely safe unless there were two groups of hunters.

I abandoned the meat sack after a couple miles. It was only weighing me down and it could distract the dogs. I shifted the cub in my arms to give it more support and it yipped, licking my hands. "A little further," I told it and made a mental note to find out its gender later.

Soon I could see the field and in the distance tents and trailers. It gave me more energy and I forced my burning legs to go a little faster. The dogs had been gradually gaining on me as a bullet had nicked me in the lower right leg and I was moving slower. Then we burst out into the tall grass and I crouched down, moving as quickly as I could. Each step made my leg ache but it was a minor hurt compared to what would happen if the dogs caught up. There was a bunch of faint clicks from behind me and I was confused until the sound of paws got much louder and I realized that the dogs had been let off their leashes. Damn. At least the Cirque would hear the gunshots now.

I stood up fully so my chest and head was about the grass and screamed. "Help!" Shots went off, each one hurting my ears and I ducked again. People had to have heard that one. A dog came up on my left and lunged; I dodged sideways and snarled loudly at it. The dog whined and tucked its tail, shooting away back to its owners. Each dog that came I snarled at and sent it packing but one managed to clamp down around my arm and I let out a yelp of pain before shooing it away with a vicious snarl. I wrapped both arms around the cub, smearing blood on its already filthy fur and barely made it out of the field before I caught sight of the men behind me. I ducked and weaved and slid underneath a trailer, clamping a hand around the cubs muzzle to keep it from making any noise as the men raced by. However they stopped pretty close and I rolled onto my belly to watch them, tucking the wolf between my arm and side. Mr. Tall was speaking to another group of hunters and the ones who had been chasing me mixed in with them. Their dogs pressed against their legs, tails still tucked and I grinned savagely.

Evanna came out from somewhere else and she addressed the hunters. I focused my hearing and listened in. "Do you have cotton in your ears fools? He said to leave. So go!"

The hunters whispered amongst themselves for a moment. "We chased a boy and our prey into this camp and we demand he return what is ours."

The wolf cub shivered and I patted it on the head reassuringly. I was not letting them get the cub back.

"What belongs to you? Another of your mangy dogs?" Evanna asked sneeringly.

"A wolf cub. We were chasing it and one of your brats freed it from a trap."

Evannas eyes flashed dangerously and I could smell her power welling up. "Really. What did he look like?"

"Brown hair, skinny," a hunter said dismissively.

"He ruined all of our dogs! They won't leave us now," another said angrily.

"I would love to congratulate that boy on saving an innocent animal from your tender mercies," Evanna growled. "Leave. You are getting nothing from us." Her eyes were searching the onlookers, and drifting along the trailers.

I shrank further into the shadows when her eyes fell on the trailer I was hiding under.

A hunter drew his gun but one glance from Evanna and he was blasted backwards. The rest backed away and then left, leaving their comrade to gather himself up and follow alone. When they were almost out of sight the hunter Evanna had tossed turned back and called. "We will get that pup back woman. He wears our brand."

"I would love to see you try," Evanna snorted. Behind her I could see Evra standing behind Cormac, a horrified look on his face.

The hunter vanished but I did not come out of hiding even when the onlookers wandered away and it was only Evanna and Evra. My heart was pounding along with the cubs and I liked it under the trailer where it was relatively safe. Evra left too and it was just Evanna who started to pace along the trailers toward the cub and I. Her feet paused right in front of me and then she bent down and looked under the trailer, meeting my eyes. The cub was safely behind me and out of sight already.

"Come on out Darren," Evanna said quietly and assured me that the hunters were well on their way.

I growled and shifted to hide the small ball of fur even better, stiffening when Evanna sat down on the ground.

"I suppose you have the wolf cub?" Evanna asked and when I didn't answer she nodded. "Then after life with those buffoons she will be in need of medical care, a bath and food no doubt."

I could see reason in that and slid out from under the trailer after Evanna backed off. I kept the cub cradled in my arms and tensed whenever Evanna got too close. When I looked down at the cub I saw it was indeed a she. How had Evanna known? "Okay," I said and followed at a distance from Evanna until she got to her trailer.

The trailers outside had been transformed into more of a standard RV look, complete with a place to drive from. There was a niche above the door where I supposed an awning could be pulled out and several windows. The RV was a decent size but I didn't understand how two people could live in there and not murder each other after a few days. The cub seemed to like it too; she was wriggling more now that the hunters were gone and had settled for nibbling on my hands.

I refused to enter until Evanna did so I could keep her in eyesight at all times but when I did go in my mouth fell open. The RV was much bigger then it looked on the outside, so big I knew some dimension twisting had to be going on. The main part of the RV was a kitchen and dining combo. One half of the room was a small kitchen with the table built into the other side with booths. Small swivel chairs were built in closer to the three doors I could see leading off at the opposite end of the RV. The end closest to me had the drivers' seat and a space above that like a loft.

Evanna sat at the dining table and swept her hand around, looking smug. "Take a look around. The doors are the guest room, bathroom and my room respectively. All of them you can go into except my room unless it is an emergency."

I opened the guest room and saw a twin bed, a desk and a chest for clothes. The bathroom was decently sized too with a bathtub that could be used as a shower too. Of course I left the third door alone and turned back to Evanna, who was standing in front of the drivers' seat and fiddling with something. A ladder extended from the loft area down to the floor when she pressed a button and I stared at it with my eyebrows raised.

"This is where you will be sleeping. I would have offered the guest room but Desmond will use it occasionally and I thought this would suit you a bit better," Evanna explained.

I nodded and climbed the ladder, ducking through the dark curtains that covered the part of the loft that stuck out into the rest of the RV. My mouth fell open again and I set the cub down who curled up immediately. The space was like a tiny attic but big enough to stand up in. In one corner was a twin bed with mountains of pillows and blankets. Next to that was a small desk and underneath a fluffy dog bed popped into being. Panels on the walls opened up to reveal places for clothing and other items. The one window above the desk was big enough to fit through if I had to which I liked. I picked up the cub and climbed down, using the same button to pull the ladder back in.

"Thank you!" I said grinning. "It's perfect."

Evanna nodded and smiled. "Now let us take care of that pup." She took the cub from me gently and examined her while I watched with a critical eye. "Besides that rope burn on the leg I would say she needs proper nourishment and a bath but she isn't in that bad of condition. A bit skittish which is normal but she trusts you."

I took the cub back who quieted when I rubbed her ears. Evanna went into her room after pointing out the soap and I set the she wolf in the sink and started to wash her off. It was a long process and I started with her head, gently scrubbing away dirt that was caked onto her fur and skin. When I got her head clean her bright yellow eyes looked much better without the rim of brown around them. It took nearly forty minutes to wash her and many cups of water before I found a few towels and dried the cub off. She looked even thinner now and the rope burn was bleeding a bit but there was a silver wolf sitting in the sink blinking at me. I picked her up and knocked on Evanna's door. Together we wrapped her leg with medicated bandages which was hard because she kept trying to eat them. After that I tended to my own leg, assuring Evanna that I was indeed capable of bandaging myself.

"What will you name her?" Evanna asked and started preparing food at a speed too fast for me to catch more then a blur, but her speech was perfectly understandable.

"I don't know yet," I said honestly and studied the she wolf who was sitting next to me.

Evanna said two plates of pasta on the table and put a hunk of meat and a bowl of water on the floor for the cub who raced over to it, not at all bothered by her leg. "A name can mean everything so choose wisely. Anyway, there are some guidelines I wish to tell you. Do not eat from the main part of camp. We will eat meals here and if you get hungry there will always be food here for you and the wolf. Poison has been a favorite of wannabe assassins hunting me and now it will be directed at you. Tomorrow I will give you money and you will go shopping for clothing. No assistant of mine will look like they just crawled out of a crypt."

I choked on my pasta and the wolf looked at me from under the table, meat smeared on her muzzle. "Okay…"

"You will go to bed directly after you eat," Evanna said and shushed my protests. "Tomorrow will be busy and you know as well as I do that your midnight wanderings will still happen. I do not want you exhausted so until you get yourself under control go to bed early."

I put my dishes into the sink and only paused for a second when they started to wash themselves. I was about to go up into the loft when Evanna called me back and I turned around, holding the cub under one arm. "What?"

"I did not allow Desmond entrance to camp for the moment. The wards Mr. Tall put up around the camp centuries ago make it so he has to have permission from one of us to get in. I cannot refuse him forever and he could find another way in by hitchhiking on someone," Evanna said.

"Hitchhiking?" I asked.

"Basically he possesses them," Evanna said flatly. "So I would much rather have him here in plain sight then sneaking around in the back of someone's mind. I can give you until right after the full moon. no more. However, since Desmond was acting rather impatient keep an eye out for people not acting like themselves."

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay. Understood." I climbed up the ladder thinking that there was no way I would fall asleep this early but I only had time to set the cub on the bed and kick my shoes off before I fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8- Locked up

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"Evanna," I croaked from the bathroom where I was bent over the sink. I had tried to fight it all morning, but there was no winning against the moon. Long gouges ran down the ceramic from my nails. I wanted to hunt and kill everything that moved. Each flicker of sunlight through the window curtains made me tense and sniff the air. The bathroom door opened and I fought to keep from leaping at the woman and ripping her throat out. "It's time. Lock me up before I kill someone." I had even left the cub in my loft. Just in case.

Evanna looked at me solemnly and nodded. "You made it further I thought you would." She pressed two fingers against my forehead and the bathroom disappeared. We appeared in a small room with concrete walls and no door. In one corner was a cot and under it was a pile of books and blank paper with journals. In another corner was a shelf with various food on it. "I do not think I should return until the morning after the full moon. Seeing me will only make your temper worse." She sighed. "Try to record what you feel on the journals." She gave me a look and vanished.

I paced around the room, counting out my steps and breathing. After awhile I was calm enough to sit on the cot and pull out one of the journals and a pencil. Record what I was feeling? I sighed loudly and put pencil to paper.

Some time later I cracked the pencil in half and was startled out of my daze. I looked at what I'd written and gulped. The writing across five sheets of paper was not my usual scrawl. Instead it was jagged and so messy I could barely read it. Over and over I had written _Hunt _and _Kill. _ On the bottom of one page in the tiniest writing I'd ever seen was a series of names. Evanna. Evra. Cub. I gulped again. Why would I want to kill them? But then I saw another thing written in the corner, underlined several times. Hunters. I looked between the two sets of names but the journal slipped from my hands when I heard a rumbling sound from through the wall.

I came back to myself again and stumbled away from the wall. Claw marks decorated it, slicing startlingly deep into the concrete. The rumbling sound was gone. I growled loudly and started to pace again, running my fingers over the grooves in the wall. I wished I had a mirror because my back felt odd, but no matter how much twisting I did I couldn't see what was happening. My ears were burning too and when I touched them they felt different; much more pointy then usual. I had no idea how long I had been "out" was it still the same day? I had no way of knowing. I tilted my head back and sniffed the air but besides the dust and concrete smell nothing was getting through those walls. I knew why Evanna had left me, but I was terrified of going through this alone.

This time I was naked. My clothes were in shredded ribbons around the room and the cot had been turned over and destroyed. The journals were still intact though and I fell to my knees, grabbing one and writing down. I would most likely not remember any of this tomorrow-or was it already tomorrow?-so I had to write down as much as I could and hope I didn't destroy the journals. I scribbled down how I kept blacking out and the strange rumbling sounds which seemed to send me off the most. Other times it was a stray thought of the hunters or food. Mixed in there were the words "hunt" and "kill."

I set down the journal when my fingers hurt and wandered to the shelf of food. Cans of meaty stuff was on the top shelf and I tossed it to the floor, smashing into it with brute strength. Without giving a care I shoveled the food out of the can and ate it with my fingers, smearing it everywhere. The strange feeling along my spine came again and I growled irritably, scratching at my flank with a bloody finger. I bit down on a fresh can, sinking my fangs into the metal and pulled them free surprised. My teeth were longer now I noted with surprise and delight.

The rumbling came again and I threw myself at the wall, snarling and snapping desperately. I hit the concrete so hard one of the bricks cracked but my arm was badly bruised so I fell back and loped around the room on all fours, leaning against each brick and testing it for weaknesses. There was a way out of here I just knew it and I would hunt to my hearts content.

The moon was rising. I could feel it with every fiber of my being and I keened loudly, stretching up the wall where it would come from. It was the first time I had risen on two legs in awhile. It was like the moon was calling to me and me alone. Who was I to deny the call? I placed my hand on the wall and waited, feeling its power grow. Finally my human self cracked and started to fall away completely. Fur grew, starting from my spine and working its way outward. My hands lengthened and nails turned to claws. There was a brief, but quickly forgotten pain as the very bones of my skull changed, face elongating outwards to a more wolfish shape. When the shift was complete I tilted my head back and howled, enjoying the feeling of finally being wolf. But when my head lowered my eyes were narrow with fury at being confined.

_Kill. _

I paced around and around, slamming against the walls hard enough to break bones but each time I healed. The concrete started to give away under my furious attack, but instead of moonlight dirt started to fall through. I scratached and clawed at the little crack I had made, sniffing the dirt which was filled with human scents.

_Hunt. _

I howled again, pressing my nose against the dirt and snuffled. For a while I remained with my nose at the crack, inhaling the scent of two legged prey. I wanted my cub here with me, but I knew the humans had taken her. Anika. My cub. I scratched and dug with renewed energy at the thought of humans handling her but the meaty cans on the shelf caught my attention and I ripped into them, focusing my anger on the food.

A strange mist was floating through the air from the crack and I paused and sniffed it. Dizziness overtook me and I floundered, sliding onto the floor. Through the mist I could see a shape and I lifted my head to see what it was but that took more energy then I had and my head thumped back onto the floor.

"Evanna?" I moaned. My head felt like a set of drums and I felt like a truck had run over my body. Bruises and scratches decorated my skin and…I was naked. I groaned and rubbed my eyelids, trying to haul myself to the cot but when I got closer to the pile of twisted metal I saw there was no point as the blankets had been destroyed. "Evanna…" I called.

A loud pop echoed in the room and Evanna appeared. She turned around immediately and tossed a large blanket behind her which I awkwardly wrapped around myself. When I was decent she crouched by my side and turned my head to the side. "You beat yourself up," she mused softly. Her eyes ran over my back and she frowned.

I didn't have the energy to ask while her fingers touched my ears next and she sighed. "You didn't change back all the way." She gathered me up in her arms, ignoring my protesting squeaks and we appeared back in the RV. She set me down on the guest bed and the cub ran in, barking loudly.

I gathered the cub in my arms and sniffed her all over, making sure she was okay. When I was done with my examination I tucked her close to my chest and put my head on her back, tugging on her ear. "Shh," I comforted her and got a bunch of ear licks in return.

"Look," Evanna said and held out a mirror.

I looked and gasped. My ears were pointy like an elves. The mirror tilted and I saw my back. Running along my spine was a strip of white fur that tapered off along my neck. "Oh." I said awkwardly. The cub must have sensed my unease because she licked me again. I patted her on the back. The mirror tilted to my face and this time I paled. My teeth were all much pointier then normal, but what really startled me was the inch long canines. I touched them with my finger.

Evanna pulled the mirror away and briskly sat me up, running a hand down my back, fingers gliding over the place where my fur was. Soon my bruises were gone and I was left with a general soreness. "As much as I would like to keep you in bed, Desmond is here. A quick visit nothing to do with you he "assured" but before he leaves he would like to see you for himself to take in your new status with his own eyes."

"Do I have to?" I said weakly.

"We do little with werewolves so you are a curiosity. Desmond loves those and he will no doubt have many questions." Evanna tossed me an outfit and turned her back while I awkwardly put it on.

I got up and grunted in pain; my muscles felt like they had been stretched and snapped back into place over and over. Evanna had neglected to give me a shirt so I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders to hide the fur. "Okay, ready I suppose."

Evanna opened the door and I caught a glimpse of Mr. Tiny sitting at the dining table. "Go on. I will be right behind you."

I shuffled through the door and scooted to sit at the table across from Mr. Tiny. His scent wasn't unpleasant but it seemed to hang in the air like nothing else. He didn't move anything but his eyes which roamed over my features. When he did move I jumped and almost growled at him. He laid his heart shaped watch on the table and got up, moving around to reach out for my face. This time I did snarl, loudly and pulled back to bare my fangs at him.

Mr. Tiny chuckled and sat back down. "Who bit you?"

I flicked my gaze to Evanna who had finally entered the room and she nodded. "The Wolfman." My entire body was stiff enough to make my abused muscles protest even more but I did not move an inch, boring my eyes into Mr. Tiny in warning.

"Relax," Mr. Tiny murmured and all at once my body did and I slumped down in the blankets.

"Desmond," Evanna hissed in warning but he raised a hand and her voice was silenced.

Mr. Tiny was around the table and yanking down my blanket before I could my muscles to work again and studied the strip of fur on my back intently.

At first I was determined to let the man do what he wanted so he would leave faster but when his fingers touched the fur I snapped and leapt at him growling. My teeth came together inches from his neck and Mr. Tiny sidestepped swiftly, sending me sprawling.

"You have a feisty one," Mr. Tiny said but his face was stormy.

"It is not his fault you are pushing him. He was just turned and went through his first moon." Evanna snapped and picked me up, moving me back to the bench. She sat next to me this time and I was glad.

"Pardon me," Mr. Tiny said silkily and raised his hands in mock surrender. He did look less annoyed and sat back down, playing with the watch.

"Is there anything else you need?" Evanna asked pointedly.

"No," Mr. Tiny said simply and finally his eyes drifted from me to Evanna. He did hand Evanna a folded piece of paper however, smirking when my eyes rested on it.

"You came all this way to bother Darren didn't you?" Evanna said angrily.

Mr. Tiny chuckled and ignored my furious growling. He got up and walked to the door, waving back at me. "I am sure we will see each other soon Darren." The door clicked shut behind him and I raced to it, but the area outside was empty.

"I don't like him," I said grumpily and shut the door hard.

"You have good instincts," Evanna said and threw me a shirt.

I put it on and poured cereal into a bowl. "Do you think he meant it about seeing me soon?" I asked and "accidentally" dropped some of the cereal for Anika before getting milk out of the fridge.

"Maybe, it is always hard to tell with him," Evanna said and put a bowl of dog food topped with meat on the floor. She opened the note and read it, her eyes darting across the paper. The more she read the angrier her expression got and she tossed the paper into the air where it turned into ash and fell to the floor. "The nerve of that man astounds me!"

"What is it?" I asked, swallowing a large spoonful of cereal.

"He said "I enjoyed our little chat Darren. Since you were not in a talkative mood I left a gift for you so I may grant you with my questions. Fail to answer and I will have to become a live in," Evanna spat.

I looked around and upon seeing nothing obvious, dashed to my room. Who knew what Mr. Tiny left behind? Sitting on my bed was a black leather journal with a green feather pen. There was a lock on the front of the journal but before I could look for the key the journal fell open. On the front page was another note in a different piece of writing.

_I will see what you write and vice versa. Nobody else will be able to read or open the journal so your secrets are safe with me._

_-Desmond _

I snorted and viciously slammed the journal shut after ripping the note into many pieces. "This is stupid!" I said after stomping back down the ladder with the journal tucked under one arm. "He can't blackmail me!"

"He can and he is," Evanna said mildly. She looked resigned to the situation and I guessed this had happened many times before, either to her or other people.

"Why me?" I said grouchily and tossed the journal onto the table.

"We all ask that question at some point in our lives," Evanna said and sighed. "I suggest you answer his questions, keeping them truthful but withhold as much information as you can. I don't even have to touch that thing to know there are spells on there to keep you from lying. The one good thing about that is it goes both ways so he can not lie either."

"Oh," that made the situation better. Only a little though. I opened the journal and stared at it. "I won't give him the satisfaction of writing first." The paper was nice and probably more expensive then any other paper in the world. Now that I was examining the journal closer I sniffed the leather and wrinkled my nose. It wasn't any type of leather I knew. The faint animal scent coming off it was nothing I had ever smelled before. I closed the journal and put it back in my room. "If he writes that is just too bad. I have chores." I picked up Anika and carried her down the steps and outside. I snorted again as I marched into the camp, not bothering to find Evra in my annoyance. Grant him with my secrets I would indeed. My secrets of murdering him and loosing the body in a volcano would be an excellent start.

Anika wriggled and I set her down, watching fondly as she begged for left over meaty bits from Truska who obliged. Evra nearly ran her over when he raced over to me with a bloody sack over his shoulder.

"Darren!" He said and clapped me on the back. "You made it through?" He asked in an undertone.

"Yep, a bit sore but I'm okay. I don't feel like eating you anymore which is a bonus. I named the cub too. Anika meet Evra, Evra meet Anika," I said cheerfully. The cub barked and Evra smiled. I didn't feel the need to worry Evra about Mr. Tiny so I followed him through camp, picking up things here and there and running errands. I paused long enough to give Mr. Crepsley his newest lesson which Evanna had finished for me and let him give me a quick once over of his own. It took me forcefully telling him I was just fine at least ten times before he let me go.

"Did you figure out what kind of werewolf you were?" Evra asked later while we were munching on sandwiches from Evanna.

"I don't know. Most of the last couple days are a blur of so many scents and colors I can't make sense of it yet. I feel like I do know, but I haven't remembered yet."

"I for one hope you are an Alpha," Evra said quickly. "Not just because of the ability to make your own pack, I mean the red eyes. Red eyes! That's so cool!"

I laughed and stuffed the rest of the meaty sandwich into my eyes. "True." I remembered what Evanna had said about shopping and wondered if Mr. Tiny's visit had made her forget.

"Darren," Evanna said from directly behind me and I jumped. "The…gift keeps going off and it is getting rather annoying. Please take care of it."

I sighed and got up. "Ill be right back Evra."

"No skiving off the rest of chores," Evra said wagging his finger mock threateningly.

"Trust me I'd rather be doing a hundred chores," I grumbled and went back to the RV. I climbed to my room and opened the journal. There was only one message there so I knew it would probably keep going off until read the writing. Which was now thankfully. That chiming was ear splitting.

_'Hello.'_

I scowled and picked up the pen, scribbling a quick message that I hoped would end this. 'I am busy_. _Chores_. _Go away_.'_ I was feeling reckless and didn't care if he got mad.

_'Manners.'_

I narrowed my eyes and wrote. 'Do you always write in one word answers or do you not have enough brain cells to do anything else?'

_'I was merely checking that it worked. There is no need for petty insults Master Shan. Do not think you can win in a battle of wits with me.'_

'Okay. It works…good bye.' I shut the journal with a thump and stuffed it under some pillows and blankets just in case it went off again. Mr. Tiny trying to start a conversation over paper was somehow more disturbing then him doing it in person. I climbed out of the RV and was immediately handed a bucket and scrub brush by Evra and we set to work. There was a smile on the corners of my mouth though; I was busy making a mental list of all the possible insults to use on Mr. Tiny.

"Why are you smiling so much? This is so boring!" Evra said and threw the soapy brush down. We always had to scrub the trailers before moving on.

"I'm thinking of ways to piss Mr. Tiny off," I said honestly.

"Are you insane?" Evra gulped.

I shrugged. "Maybe," I said and promptly went back to adding on more things to the rather extensive list. If Mr. Tiny wanted to engage in a battle of words I was ready and more then willing. Mr. Tiny may be old and infinitely powerful but he did not have the mind of a teenager ready to spout out insults. I smirked, flashing a fang at Evra and nodded to myself. I would turn Mr. Tiny's blackmail on his own head and make him wish he had never opened up correspondence with me, while being entirely truthful so he had no leverage to actually come and stay with us. Perfect. I scrubbed even faster, hurrying to finish so I could go write all the things I had thought of in my actual journal. I didn't want to forget any of it.

"Thine face is not worth sunburning," Evra said suddenly and looked sheepish under my startled stare. "What! I had a thing for Shakespearean insults a couple years ago!"

I turned on Evra, brandishing my soapy brush. "Tell me all of them!"

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**R&amp;R Please! :3**


	9. Author Note (I am back finally!)

Hello,

I am sure you all thought I had abandoned the story, fallen off the face of the earth or something equally horrible. I didn't! There was a series of unfortunate events. My computer finally bit the dust and I was unable to write at all which sucked so much. It killed me not updating this story for so long. I hope you can forgive me!

Until now I have not been able to write. For months I could not afford to get a new laptop, but all the saving has paid off. I am now back in business : ) The next chapter of this will be up tomorrow probably in the evening EST time. It is too late now for me to finish it. Because I have a job and will be going to college you can expect a chapter every two weeks. If I get more free time it will be more often than that.

:D  
This story will be completed!


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